québec (52)

Rapids (The Dam part 3)


("Stromschnelle" by Gerhard Rießbeck)



In « Rapids, » the third part of « The Dam, » the protagonist/narrator is being carried from a mostly uneventful and rather disappointing river straight into an heretofore unseen dam.


The intent behind this instrumental section is to convey a feeling of being taken ahead by an unrelenting force, and to let the listener reflect on the discourse presented in « River. »


In the storyline, the rapids represent the rising tension which accompanies the recognition th

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Come Back


("Magnetic field of two bar magnets with unlike poles" by Alexander Wilmer Duff)



« Come Back » dates back to the epoch of The Fall Children, the band that was supposed to be but never really was, and whose unexpected but timely demise cleared the space which Poligraf needed to come into being.


This is an enigmatic piece for me as both music and lyrics have been reworked and reorganized many times over the years, yet I’m never completely satisfied with the end results, which is kind of strange for

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Stonecutter (revisited - with poetry)


(Detail from "Quarryman at work" by Unidentified Artist)



« Stonecutter » is intended as an anthem to perseverance and is based on one of my favourite citations, one which has helped me on several occasions, the following quote by Jacob August Riis :


When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it
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Marimbariation (Octoccata part 7)

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("Athletics tracks finish line" by Petey21)



« Marimbariation » takes its name from the brief passage featuring the marimba that leads this seventh movement of the « Symphony of Eights. »


Once the percussive instrument concludes its opening statement, the music returns to more traditional orchestrations as it explores a succession of quirky melodies supported by syncopated rhythms.


The section culminates on a repeated phrase wherein the main riff is a restatement of a previous figure which is now

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(Untitled Artwork by Fred Bonneau)



« Polygraph » is intended as a portrait of human relationships turning to the sour, hinting at the necessity of constant genuineness. The composition lasts a little over 10 minutes and is composed of the following four sections :


  1. Exposition
  2. Confrontation
  3. Consideration
  4. Vindication

I have a particular fondness for that piece of music. One fine evening many years ago, the TV was on to Robert Lepage’s movie « Le Polygraphe » as I stumbled upon the main motif while tryi

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Epilogue (Juggernaut part 6)


("Steamroller" by dam)



The closing movement of « Juggernaut » is entitled, simply, « Epilogue. »


Inspired by ELP's « Abaddon's Bolero » from their « Trilogy » album, this instrumental piece is based on a single theme that is played in harmony by all the instrumentalists over various but similar chord progressions.


The section starts with bass line and triangle, soon followed by the main theme on guitar, and then the various instruments progressively add their voice to the ensemble. The music cres

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Multilethalead (Octoccata part 8)

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("Label from a bottle of O·c·t·a·T·o·n·i·c" by Christopher Stewart, using a picture of William Henry Fox Talbot by Antoine Claudet)



The eighth and final movement of « Octoccata » is entitled « Multilethalead » and starts on a ostinato-based progression that slowly morphs into a relentless string of offbeat melodies harmonized by an increasing number of voices, building up to a climactic reprise of the « Lethal Lead » theme introduced in the fourth movement.


The « Multi » part of the section's ti

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("Fugue" by Wassily Kandinsky)



The central theme of « In Our Space » is the idea of building, of perhaps finding or reaching, a space where one is free to simply be themselves and do as they feel they should.


At the personal level, this corresponds to finding true purpose and staying in alignment with it, remaining centered at all times in that ideal sacred space, or pure land.


The second part of « In Our Space » is an instrumental entitled « A Space Where We Can Be » which comprises two movement

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Procession (Juggernaut part 3)


("Ratha Yatra Festival in Puri, India" by James Fergusson)



The third part of « Juggernaut, » entitled « Procession, » evokes the arrival of the juggernaut before it unleashes into a frenzy of steamrolling.


The title and music of this section are both inspired by the origin of the word. From Wikipedia :


One of the most famous of Indian temples is the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa, which has the Ratha Yatra ("chariot procession"), an annual procession of chariots carrying the murtis (statues) of
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Progigoriation (Octoccata part 6)

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("Nixie eight" by L. Marie)



How on Earth can a musical movement be named « Progigoriation » you ask ? Well, obviously, because it's the prog rock variation of another similar movement entitled « Igorchestral » I emphatically reply. And so it is that the music of this sixth movement of « Octoccata » is closely related to that of the aforementioned second movement, with the noticeable difference that it is orchestrated for a 5-piece rock band comprising of drums, bass, guitar, organ, and synth.


If

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Surface (The Dam part 6)


("Surface Tension" by darkmatter)



In « Surface, » the sixth chapter of « The Dam, » the protagonist/narrator is gradually returning to activity after having transformed into who he feels like being, and will ultimately reach the surface where he will properly begin his new existence.


In the storyline, this step marks the end of a long process of metamorphosis wherein one has endured many transformations and shed that which belongs to their former way of being. Once released from the demanding tr

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("Tibetan Sand Mandala" by Mary Mueller)





The central theme of « In Our Space » is the idea of building, of perhaps finding or reaching, a space where one is free to simply be themselves and do as they feel they should.


At the personal level, this corresponds to finding true purpose and staying in alignment with it, remaining centered at all times in that ideal sacred space, or pure land.


Originally, the scope was limited to that level only, and the word space was referring to an individual’s mind s

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