Il primo movimento di Sud di J.C. Risset, è un bell’esempio di composizione elettroacustica che sfrutta ed elabora alcuni elementi del paesaggio sonoro che, ad onta delle immagini del video, è quello della Francia meridionale (NB: il video non ha niente a che fare con il brano).
La composizione è del 1985. Qui abbiamo solo la prima sezione. Più sotto, le note di copertina
The first movement of Sud may be perceived as a sequence of soundscapes and sonic fields represented as the subsections shown in figure I below. Transitions between subsections are characterised by subtle transformations of character and juxtaposition of extrinsic identities, as discussed below. The various subsections cohere into sections that suggest a general construction plan for the movement.
The first section (0’00 – 2’49) presents the sonic subjects of the movement, indeed many of the subjects of the composition. It is dominated by mimetic discourse and the manipulation of environmental soundscapes. The transition between sections I and II is the only instance within Sud in which an abrupt interruption is perceived. This pause creates expectation regarding the continuation of the musical discourse. The previous development suggested a sequence of soundscapes clearly connected with extrinsic identities. The second section (2’49 – 5’44) then presents a sequence of sonic fields that suggest extrinsic identities only at the level of basic structures, being dominated by an aural discourse. The identification of relationships between Gestalten occurs in a much less direct way, inviting the listener to penetrate the abstract world devised by the composer with a different approach. The third section (5’44 – 9’45) marks a return to the manipulation of environmental soundscapes, being characterised by a balance between mimetic and aural discourses.