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Luc Ferrari
L'Escalier des aveugles
Recueil de nouvelles
1991

radiophonic work
35'

101 pages
27*35 cm
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35.20 €
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« Radio is for those whose heads are bursting with images. »
« Radio is for those whose heads are bursting with images. »
Luc Ferrari



Description
fr

At the very beginning, when I was talking about my radio play project, I had used the word “clip” to describe what I was imagining. But once I began working on it, I realized that what I was doing was a sonic metaphor for the literary technique of short story writing.

Short forms that all tell a story, or describe a situation, an atmosphere, but in a sketched-out way only. An indirect, surrealist way of story telling, full of allusions yet using realist material. It’s also a way of leaving the listener (I was about to say the viewer) in anticipation, perhaps even frustrated at not getting an ending to each anecdote told.

Each novella is constructed around a small event: a sound, an atmosphere, a soundbite, a random word spoken with feeling by the voice being heard. They offer multiple paths for the audience to go down or abandon, threading in and out of one another across several different languages — the musical, the noisy, the realist, the artificial, and finally Spanish and French.

Speaking of paths, the present one is a staircase that keeps coming back, like a theme. The idea that there’s a place in Madrid called The Staircase of the Blind has fascinated me, like a poetic reality, or rather a surreality. But also like a symbol of what I was doing; a composition with sounds, for the radio. And as everyone knows, radio is for those whose heads are bursting with images.
[Luc Ferrari]

• Commissioned by Radio Nacional de España
• Co-production Ars Sonora rne-2 & La Muse en Circuit
• Broadcasted premiere on radio RNE-2 on 21 June 1991 for the European Music Day
• Italia Prize 1991 (Special award)

This publication around 'L’escalier des aveugles', features never released before contents; including notes from the editor, full transcription of the dialogs (Spanish/French/English), historical documentation about the project, soundmap, facsimile manuscript from the composer & afterword.
Trough these 101 pages, you will have look behind the scene of this radiophonic piece — from the idea to the result.
Guided in Madrid by 6 different ladies in places they like, Luc Ferrari produces a sensitive sonic portrait of the city. Each one of the 12 movements is constructed around a small event, as part of this collection of short stories.
French/English publication, printed in colors.
Audio available under licence for any use.
Tout au début, quand je parlais de mon projet de conte radiophonique, j'avais employé le mot “clip” pour évoquer la forme que j'imaginais. Et puis en travaillant, je me suis rendu compte que ce que j'étais en train de faire était une métaphore sonore de la technique littéraire des “nouvelles”.

En effet, formes courtes qui racontent chacune une histoire, une situation, une ambiance, mais dans un climat d'ébauche, une manière indirecte de conter, allusive, irréaliste tout en employant des matériaux réalistes. Une manière aussi de laisser l'auditeur (j'allais dire le spectateur) en suspens, peut-être frustré de n'avoir pas une fin pour chaque anecdote.

Chaque nouvelle est construite sur un petit événement : un son, une atmosphère, un mot anodin porteur d'émotion par la voix qui le prononce, un cliché entendu. Et ainsi, l'ensemble se tisse à l'intérieur de multiples langages : le musical, le bruitiste, le réaliste, le synthétique et enfin l'espagnol et le français, proposant au public des pistes à suivre et à délaisser.

A propos de chemin, celui-ci est un escalier qui revient comme un thème : l'idée qu'un lieu de Madrid s'appelle L'Escalier des Aveugles m'a fasciné, comme une réalité poétique, ou plutôt comme une surréalité ; mais aussi comme un symbole de ce que j'étais en train de faire, une composition avec des sons et pour la radio. Et comme chacun sait, la radio est pour ceux qui ont des images plein la tête.
[Luc Ferrari]

• Commande de la Radio Nacional de España
• Co-production Ars Sonora rne-2 & La Muse en Circuit.
• Création RNE-2 le 21 juin 1991
dans le cadre de la Journée Européenne de la Musique.
• Prix Italia 1991 (Prix Spécial).

Credits

  • Edited by Maxime Barthélemy
  • Transcription, translation from Spanish to French and afterword: Guillaume Contré
  • Translation from French to English: Edward J. P. Williams
  • Layout: Raphaël Wittmann
  • Proofreading: Brunhild Meyer-Ferrari
Metro ticket used by Luc Ferrari in Madrid
Soundmap Poster (detail)

Limited edition See all


Soundmap Poster
32*46 cm art print
on white paper 250 g/sqm.

Soundmap referring to the spots in Madrid, where Luc Ferrari recorded to compose the piece.
0/25

Record See all


Selected works — Boxset

10 CDs boxset
16 available
Buy
Manuscript (extract)

Manuscript See all


Manuscript from the composer’s archives including: administrative exchanges, notes about the project, transcriptions, recordings, studio sessions and more.
42 pages
765*992 pixels
Note: Only available to Premium Reader subscribers.

Composer See all


Luc Ferrari
About
fr
1929 – 2005

Never ceasing to investigate, Luc Ferrari leaves behind a body of work by turns exalting, noble, funny, intimate, and nocturnal. Like a mirror turned toward the Other, it reflects the world and its fantasies.

He had a weakness for women with accents.

Find the near-complete catalogue of his mixed music and sonic pieces at Maison ONA — about 150 works released over time.
1929 – 2005

N’ayant eu de cesse de questionner, Luc Ferrari nous laisse une œuvre tour à tour solaire, généreuse, drôle, intime ou nocturne. Tel un miroir tourné vers l’autre, s’y reflètent le monde et ses fantasmes.

Il avait un petit faible pour les femmes avec un accent.

Retrouvez chez Maison ONA la quasi-intégralité de ses pièces mixtes et sur support — soit environ 150 œuvres progressivement disponibles.