t's that time of year again - time for the annual 'favourite sounds heard i=
n....' lists.
please send me a list of the 5 favourite sounds that you have heard during =
2010 for inclusion on the blog.
it's simple....choose five favourite sounds heard in 2010 - they can be one=
s you've gathered yourself, heard in situ only (natural, man made, at conce=
rts etc) or on recordings you have made or aquired....submitted lists will =
be added to the post upon reciept by email to this address:=
com
last years choices can be viewed on the 'in place' blog:
http://JezrileyFrench-inplace.blogspot.com/
have fun & I look forward to reading your choices ! & of course have a nice=
xmas & new year !
here's mine:
. recording me & my daughter feeding ducks & swans on the Norfolk broads
. dawn chorus & sheep eating along the banks of the humber
. a recording of me, Pheobe & Amy sheltering from the rain in a pop-up tent=
at Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire
. razor clams along the north wales coast
. the sound of bridges in wales & portugal
---------------------------
new release on engraved glass (label):
'sonata for clarinet & nodar'
Jez riley French (field recording / composition)
Joana Silva (clarinet)
Luis Costa (field recording)
egcd035 / nodar002
(a joint release between engraved glass & edi=C3=A7=C3=B5es nodar)
in the last days of my residency at binaural (Nodar, Portugal) an idea came=
from a series of chance occurrences. Luis spotted Joana in the village & k=
new she was a clarinet player & that she had come from Lisbon to visit fami=
ly for the summer. In the days before, myself & Luis had talked about recor=
dings of instruments & singers in the natural environment - the roots of fi=
eld recording. A decision was made to ask Joana if she would be willing to =
play her clarinet whilst walking slowly along a path that swept around the =
curve in the Paiva river that runs through Nodar. Joana, still at school, s=
till learning the instrument, agreed & a day was arranged.
I think it's fair to say that what took place was truly a unique moment. Th=
is was not a 'perfect' realisation of a score that had been rehearsed. This=
was not a seasoned performer with a vast experience of contemporary compos=
ition playing a piece they knew well. Instead what was captured was a young=
player truly exploring the idea for the piece. There was no detailed instr=
uction to her in regards to overall duration or the space between the playe=
d sections. This, therefore, is a composition of a moment.
Of course, the very nature of field recording & one of it's charms, is that=
it is a gesture to capture an unpredictable environment. Given the rural n=
ature of Nodar village some aspects of everyday village life were bound to =
make an appearance. It was another chance occurrence that at the time we we=
re recording someone decided it was time to trim the overgrowth on their pl=
ot of land with one of the loudest machines invented for the purpose. As th=
is sound went on & on my thoughts went from frustration to resignation - we=
were, after all, capturing an aspect of life as it was happening. In compo=
sing the final piece it would have been possible to leave this intervention=
of modern rural reality out. However doing so would have also removed a me=
morable part of the experience.
It is the emotive capture of this day, this moment that motivated the compo=
sition drawn from the recordings made that day & the decision to create thi=
s release.
my thanks to Joana for her openess, exploration & dedication to the essenti=
al qualities of the music (both performed & environmental) & to Luis & all =
at Binaural for their hospitality & commitment.
to order:
engravedglass.blogspot.com
|