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PRESS PLAY Episode 55: Vague à l’âme
December 12, 2024
Vague à l’âme* (2024)
Liberté-Anne Lymberiou (CA), composer
Tristan Durie, flute
Anthony Thompson, clarinet
Carol Lynn Fujino, violin
Paul Widner, cello
Geoffrey Conquer, piano
Ryan Scott, percussion
Gregory Oh, conductor
Programme Note:
In French, the designation for the no-man’s land is “terrain vague”, which literally translates to ‘vague terrain’. The word “vague” has many meanings, both as a noun and an adjective, and is used in multiple expressions. One such titles this piece. Its seed idea is the no-man’s land: the ever-morphing and disappearing urban landscape, and my relation to it. I keep memories of countless moments spent in these spaces, for years developing a habit of solitary “flanâge” that became a set of secret personal rituals. But these in turn are lost when the space in question is reappropriated for official use.
All these ideas morphed into a music that depicts two characters: the tangible physical space and the memory of it — at times distinct from each other, and other times melded, fused, or confused. Memories stand alone or are triggered by our senses. They are also misremembered and even lost entirely. How tightly should I hold on to a memory? And when letting go, vague à l’âme remains.
* world premiere
This piece was presented as part of the PIVOT program in partnership with the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre.
Ensemble photos: Nicola Betts

production sponsors


Dr. Peter Burns
The Mary-Margaret Webb Foundation



