Lieux imaginaires by Steven Naylor

[EN]

empreintes DIGITALes is proud to present this first acousmatic release by composer Steven Naylor. A quick glance at the artist’s biography reveals the broad reach of his work, ranging from electroacoustic composition to instrumental music, improvisation, sound environment composition, music for theatre, and festival organisation. In short, Naylor’s artistic path is remarkable.

Drawing on his versatile experiences, the artist’s compositional intentions are of startling clarity, investigating a specific creative process for every piece. From soundscapes, to radiophonic narrative, to abstract textures, the six pieces of this disc reveal unique places, oscillating between the real and the imaginary.

About these Imaginary Places

All of these compositions are connected in some way by a sense of place — an abstracted sonic recollection of somewhere I have been, an immersive depiction of a place I never want to be in, or the construction of a place that could exist only in the imagination.

The approaches I have used are deliberately varied and frequently merged. A single piece may present elements of soundscape work, a radiophonic narrative, or a purely abstract exploration of sound for its own properties.

But all of the works are unified by an acousmatic position — harnessing that powerful combination of unseen sound source and imagination.

I may make oblique suggestions, open unknown doors, create brief pictures, or produce fleeting shadows, but ultimately each listener to this music will create and visit places entirely of their own imagination.

– Steven Naylor, Halifax (Nova Scotia) [iii-12]

The Compositions

The earliest pieces of this collection of works — “Bitter Orchids”, “I wish”, and “Irrashaimase” — were conceived as part of a series titled “Imaginary Places”, a series concerned with the fragmented and imperfect nature of memory, particularly the inherent dislocation of memories of travel experiences.

“Irrashaimase” is an abstracted sonic memoir of urban Japan, while “Bitter Orchids” offers a more immersive, and somewhat hallucinatory, re-visitation of materials recorded in northern Thailand. “I wish” uses source materials from a recording of a simple song of lament, “Home”, composed by Steven Naylor some time ago, to present an anxious, largely vocal, portrait of ambiguous longings and unattainable desires.

The subsequent pieces were originally not intended to be part of the series. However, as the work progressed, it became clear that the notion of the imaginary place continued to be central to all of these compositions.

“Automatopoiea: Study 1” immerses the listener in an imaginary world of low-tech mechanical chaos. “kune kune” evokes an imaginary world in which pigs may become child-like, while their identities morph freely back and forth among the referential, the associative, and the purely acousmatic. Finally, “The Thermal Properties of Concrete” visits a contradictory, immersive world that is at once a fictional creation, a complete abstraction, and oppressively real.

In this music, listeners may find themselves assembling a quasi-narrative based on disjunct bits of text, attempting to contextualize unknown but potentially familiar or knowable sounds, or trying to decipher the entirely unknowable.

But all of these works are ultimately unified by a common factor: composer Steven Naylor’s fascination with the ability of sound alone to empower the listener to identify, construct, attribute, and — more powerfully — to imagine.

– [vii-12]

Thanks

With warm thanks to my family – Pamela, Anna, and Mia – and to Jonty Harrison, Jean-François Denis, and Dominique Bassal.

The composer acknowledges financial support from the Nova Scotia Arts Council, the Government of Nova Scotia and/or the Canada Council for the Arts during the creation of these works.

– Steven Naylor, Halifax (Nova Scotia) [vii-12]

[FR]

empreintes DIGITALes est fière de présenter ce premier disque de musique acousmatique du compositeur Steven Naylor. Un rapide coup d’œil à la biographie de l’artiste permettra de constater l’étendue de son œuvre, passant de la composition électroacoustique, à la musique instrumentale, à l’improvisation, à la composition d’environnements sonores, la musique pour le théâtre, la direction de festivals, bref, une feuille de route exceptionnelle.

Puisant dans ses diverses expériences, l’artiste formule des intentions musicale d’une clarté saisissante sur chacune des pièces du disque. Chaque composition arpentent un processus de composition bien précis. Du paysage sonore, au récit radiophonique, à la construction de paysages inventés, les six pièces du disque nous dévoile autant de lieux oscillant entre réel et imaginaire.

À propos de ces «Lieux imaginaires»

Un sentiment d’appartenance relie, en quelque sorte, les œuvres réunies sur ce disque; un souvenir sonore extrait d’un endroit que j’ai visité, le tableau immersif d’un endroit où je souhaite ne jamais me trouver, ou encore l’érection d’un lieu qui ne peut être qu’imaginaire.

J’ai délibérément varié et fusionné les approches. Ainsi, une composition peut présenter des éléments de paysage sonore, un récit radiophonique, ou l’exploration purement abstraite des propriétés intrinsèques d’un son.

Or, un même parti-pris acousmatique unit ces œuvres, celui de maîtriser la combinaison puissante de sources sonores invisibles et de l’imagination.

Il arrive que je fasse des suggestions indirectes, que j’ouvre des portes inconnues, que je brosse un portrait à la hâte ou que je produise des ombres évanescentes, mais, au final, chaque auditeur forgera et visitera des lieux qu’il aura imaginés lui-même.

– Steven Naylor, Halifax (Nouvelle-Écosse) [traduction française: François Couture, v-12]

Les compositions

– [vii-12]

Remerciements

Chaleureux remerciements à ma famille – Pamela, Anna et Mia – et à Jonty Harrison, Jean-François Denis et Dominique Bassal.

Le compositeur reconnaît l’apport financier du Nova Scotia Arts Council, du Gouvernement de la Nouvelle-Écosse et/ou du Conseil des arts du Canada à la création de ces œuvres.

– Steven Naylor, Halifax (Nouvelle-Écosse) [vii-12]

[EN] Founded in 1990, empreintes DIGITALes is considered a reference label in electroacoustics, acousmatics and musique concrète.

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[FR] Active depuis 1990, empreintes DIGITALes est reconnue comme une référence en musiques électroacoustiques, acousmatiques, concrètes.

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