« Déjà elle cherchait le nord, le plus nord, le plus que nord. Pour mieux respirer. Un goût du large et de l'espace lui venait de ses ancêtres. »
- Pierre Perrault, Le mal du nord

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courant.air is a continuation of the work begun in 2007 with the guitarist Simon Trottier in which we intertwine improvised electroacoustic and folk music. Wishing to exploit the full potential of this rich and singular synthesis, I wanted to explore it further within a more rigorous compositional context. It ineluctably lead me to the banks of the St. Lawrence river, with its landscapes created by erosion caused by wind and water, an estuary with which I owe the history of my country. I thus look towards my roots by imagining the junction between folk music, noise and wind pushing the guitar to a digital abyss.

The first inspiration is the wind.
Wind as constructive/destructive agent, as an art creator.
Wind as an agent of travel, having left with the sailing ships of Cartier and discovered Quebec.
Wind as a propulsion engine of particles in constant movement in the air.

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courant.air is a work in 10 movements : 1. Courant I
2. Point I
3. Air I
4. Courant II
5. Point II
6. Air II
7. Courant III
8. Point III
9. Air III
10. Final

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to Simon Trottier.

Thanks to NAISA, Réseaux and to Conseil des arts et des lettre du Québec.

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courant.air was realized between August 22, 2008 and March 2010 in the composer’s personal studio as well as the Banff Centre. The work was commissioned by New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA), Réseaux and with financial support for the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

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