To Annette Vande Gorne

Rumeurs… (Rumors) — A rumor is a sound in the air. Elusive, we seek to capture it, fearing that it may concern us, that it may hold a part of shameful truth. Fleeting, it cannot be caught. As soon as it materializes, it vanishes, leaving only traces in our memories. Here, nothing is certain. Where does this sound come from? What is it made of?

The piece endlessly oscillates between pure sound and meaning, without ever resolving to one or the other. The piece is at the limit between texture and image, between material and anecdote. And rumors go by, always surrounding us. Here and there, sounds reach us like faint echoes of the world. If you believe hearing things about you, why worry? After all they’re only rumors… and if you listen carefully, you may find the key.

… (Place de Ransbeck) — A small square in Ohain (Belgium), home of the studio Métamorphoses d’Orphée where the piece was produced in June, 1987.

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Rumeurs (Place de Ransbeck) premiered on September 24, 1987 at Concordia University, Montréal. The residency in Belgium was the outcome of the prize received at the 1st Phonurgia Nova International Competition in Arles (France, 1986) the previous year and was made possible by a grant from the ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec. Rumeurs (Place de Ransbeck) was awarded the 2nd prize of the Electroacoustic Category of the 16th Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (France, 1988) and consequently was released on the Cultures électroniques 3 compact disc produced by the Groupe de musique expérimentale de Bourges (GMEB) on the Le chant du monde label (LDC 278046/47).

Premiere

• September 24, 1987, CECG / GÉC Series 6 — Spectra: Concert 1, Campus Loyola — Université Concordia, Montréal (Québec)

Awards

• 2nd prize ex æquo, Electroacoustic Music Prize, 16th Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition 1988, Bourges (Cher, France)