Bernard Parmegiani (1927-2013)
I first heard Bernard Parmegiani’s De Natura Sonorum (1975-78) in the 80s, at a festival of electroacoustic music at the South Bank in London. It’s a set of studies in which the composer takes notions of movement or tension and illustrates them abstractly with electronic sound. The studies are perfect examples of sonic ‘elasticness’, ‘resonance’, ‘impact’ etc. Beautiful and enjoyable to listen to.
What amazed me also was the relatively limited resources Parmegiani had at his disposal to make these exquisite pieces. In the words of Bernard Nöel, it:
awakens a familiar murmur […] which emits the audible without imposing a meaning. […] Liquid music, but like energy.