Pendlerdrøm (or "Commuterdream")
is a soundscape
composition that recreates a
commuter's trip home from the Central Train Station in
Copenhagen. At two points, one in the station and the other on
the train, the commuter lapses into a daydream in which the
sounds that were only half heard in the station return to reveal
their musical qualities. It is hoped that the next day the
commuter will hear the musicality of the station's soundscape in
a different manner as a result of the dream; the rest of us may
discover the very same aspects the second time we hear the work.
Pendlerdrøm is available on the
Cambridge Street Records CD Islands. and
the SKRAEP double CD Pendler. A complete documentation analysis of the work is
also available on a DVD-ROM.
Sound Example available
* Note: an 8-channel version of this work is
available, created with the DM-8 computer-controlled diffusion system.
Additional
Commentary by the Composer:
Pendlerdrøm was commissioned by the SKRAEP
group in Copenhagen, along with 11 other composers including
Francis Dhomont, Otomo Yoshihide, Jakob Brandt-Pedersen, Ruelgo
(Jean-Marie Onni), Pere Oliver Jørgens, Jørgen Teller, Per Buhl Acs,
Yasuhiro Otani, Headbutt, Hansen, & Anton Ignorant, the
results of which were issued on a double CD. Each composer was
provided with a one-hour recording at the Central Station in
Copenhagen, January 2, 1997 between 4:30 and 21:30, during which
time 8,000 postcards were distributed to the travellers
encountered. The excellent source recordings were made
with a portable DAT and a stereo AKG C522 mike. I was provided
with the last recording of the day which suggested to me the
narrative structure of the piece - a tired commuter arriving at
the Station at the end of the day, waiting for his local train
amidst the flurry of activity in the large station, getting on
the local train, falling into a light slumber during which time
previously heard events come back in the form of blurred
memories, awaking with a start when the next station is
announced, getting off and leaving the station. The only problem
was that the recordist, Per Buhl Acs,
had actually made the trip in the reverse direction, but the
material could easily be re-ordered for the more typical
commuter pattern of going from the Central Station to a suburban
one. Given the excellent quality of the recordings, and the
stated desire by SKRAEP that we not spend a great deal of time
composing our works (for reasons that were unclear to me), I
decided to alternate unprocessed but layered versions of the
original recording with processed versions that represented the
"daydream" sequences (whereas in later works such as Island, processed and
unprocessed sounds are heard simultaneously). Although the
commission was for a stereo work of 12 minutes in duration, I
regularly listened to the tracks on an 8-channel system in my
home studio, and impressed by the obvious effectiveness of a
surround-sound listening situation, I decided to create the
8-channel version described here.
Review (from Musicworks, no. 74,
p. 52)
Pendlerdrøm (commuter dream),
by Barry Truax, is inspired by the notion of a commuter
travelling home from the Central Train Station in Copenhagen.
It is sensitive, well-produced, and unusual: a real gem. The
piece began like a soundscape composition, inviting us to
listen to the various qualities of a crowded transit centre.
Before too long, however, the piece evolved into a non-linear
exploration of the sound materials. This section consisted of
granular time-stretching and various processing to evoke the
hidden qualities of sound, and to transport the listener into
a more dream-like space and time. Soon after, transparent
soundscapes returned and we were able to reflect on the
relations between these different sound worlds. Shortly,
another processed section began, this time more lovely than
the last. Truax's restraint was to be commended in this piece,
especially when his famous granular techniques tended to lend
themselves so well to grand and dense textures; Pendlerdrøm
is subtle and elegant. There was a melancholic melodic
motive, created with a resonator, I think - the kind of subtle
touch that made the piece. A certain cinematic quality
pervaded the work, and an excellent use - perhaps the most
effective in the festival - of the eight-channel system. The
nature of the material - moving vehicles and large spaces -
lent itself perfectly to the spatialization process.
Altogether a beautiful journey from real to psychologized
space and back.
- Joshua Thorpe
References:
Katharine Norman, Sounding Art,
Ashgate Publishing, 2004, pp. 66-67.
See also: Soundscape Composition
Technical note
The work was realized using the composer's PODX
system which incorporates the DMX-1000 Digital Signal
Processor controlled by a PDP Micro-11 computer with software
for real-time granular
synthesis and signal processing
(such as digital
resonators) developed by the
composer in the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon
Fraser University. The sounds were recorded on 8-track digital
tape and mixed down in the Sonic Research Studio at SFU.
