A series of tableaux, each centered around a relatively homogeneous, diurnal sonic ‘world’: street festivals, markets, outside sports, machines, public gardens, lanes.

The fragmentation technique used creates a generally hazy effect: a sort of sonic smog that sometimes clears to reveal the laughter or cry of a child combined with the infant-like squeals of the omnipresent swallows and of the “bip-bip” back up warnings that all types of large delivery and service vehicles with which are equipped (such strange music boxes).

Children’s Corner was realized at the composer’s studio in Montréal in 1997 and premiered on May 7, 1998 at the Bangor University (Wales, UK). Thanks to Joseph Hyde of the Sonic Arts Network (SAN, UK) to have ‘triggered’ this work. The stereo version of Children’s Corner was commissioned by Sonic Arts Network (SAN) with support from The Arts Council of England; the octophonic version (realized in 1998) was commissioned by ACREQ with support from the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) and premiered in June 1998 in Montréal.

Premiere

• June 1998, Premiere of the 8-channel version: Concert, Montréal (Québec)
• May 7, 1998, Some Small Sounds from Nowhere, Neuadd Powis — Bangor University, Bangor (Wales, UK)