Program note
/Imaginary Associations/ are the connections we as listeners make between sounds and abstract concepts. These are often influenced by our personal experiences and, not the least, our cultural influences. To me, hearing the sound of the Dan Tranh still evoke my memories from my first trip to Hanoi and Vietnam. The smells, the sounds, the tastes, and the music. None of these associations as such are present in this piece, but nevertheless comes alive between me and the sound of the instrument. They have no doubt influenced the way I have approached the process which in turn influences the ways in which listeners may create their own experience imaginary associations.
This points to another meaning of the /imaginary associations/: The sometimes almost arbitrary associations made between the various parts that make up the material for this piece, the most important, and defining aspect is the scordatura. These associations make up the fabric of which the piece is weaved. The re-occurring bass notes of the electronics which are picked up by the Dan Tranh in the first section of the piece establish the root for the harmonics to which the upper part of the instrument is tuned is one such association. Another is the theme that marks the beginning of each section. It is translated through the various segments of the electronics creating a layered and harmonic support for the melodic material.
/Imaginary Associations/ are individual and as such they are real. The listening mind creates a world of associations, many of which are not even possible to verbalize, and some may only exist in the listening. Music becomes the carrier, the medium that expands our understandings and relations and allows us to transcend the auditory nature of the music and enter another weave of associations: new knowledge.
See also about the scordatura for the piece and about the SixTones which forms the backdrop for this project. There is also an online tuner for the piece.