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| My Residence in January 2008 at VICC in Visby |
January 2008 i was invited to the International Centre for Composers at Visby, Gotland.
Gotland is a large Swedish island in the Eastsea.
I'm used to quiet places and silence but was surprised by the unique winter-emptiness on Gotland. Driving the roads and not meeting any car for 15 minutes is unthinkable in Holland. Some places look and feel as if you step into the Bronze-age.
One meets himself on these silent coasts.
I was looking forward to this seclusion; for me composing is most of all trying to get the right chemistry between the materials so that they start to breathe and come alive. This kind of alchemy has to do with high concentration in complete silence for a longer time. It's like heating up an oven to the right temperature so that the materials melt and start a reaction.
It is hard to do this at home where doorbells ring and a television asks to be looked at.
This is where the studio 'Alpha' proved to be the right place, since it IS completely soundproof and you are left in peace (if you want it) and there is, except for the view (a small harbour with few ships) nothing to tempt you.
I wrote -sometimes at night- more than the double amount of work i would have written at home.
It was good to meet fellow-composers Harry Crowl from Brazil and Harri Wessman from Finland, who also worked at the ICC.. We spent evenings at the kitchentable discussing important matters like: what is the best wine in Sweden and where can one find tobacco for his pipe.
The electronic studio, Studio Alpha, is among the best i worked in.
I was assisted and helped well by Jesper Elen.
I worked with the 2 digidesign 192's, the professional big brother of the pro-tools LE that i have at home, there are 5 Genelec 1038 loudspeakers and a sub 7071 in a 5.1 set-up: it spoilt me a bit, i have to admit..
It was a good time and so thank you to ISCM and Ramon Anthin, who made this possible.
Piet-Jan van Rossum
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