david sylvian - preparations for a journey

the recent posting of “steel cathedrals” led me to plunge deeper into the archives of youtube as related to david sylvian and i came across this work which is actually connected to steel cathedrals through its having appeared on a japanese only dvd pressing of steel cathedrals. now i wish the japanese no ill-will but i have come across this extraordinary good fortune of theirs before. it seems that either there is a unique copyright agreement with japan, or perhaps their sensibilities are quite different with regards to music and audio-visual works in general. a more tolerant and free-thinking approach perhaps?! they seem to end up with extended access to music that i would wish to hear. boo hoo!!

preparations for a journey is comprised of six sections.

one of the sections is memorable for me. at the time it was created, a musical release was making something of a sensation around the arts community and that involved the incredible discovery of a choir comprised of bulgarian women - the bulgarian state television female vocal choir. their first major release - “les mystere des voix bulgares” occupied a place of honour in my headphones for some time. it rarely made it to the speakers . . . listening to it with unprepared friends invariably left them slightly uncomfortable.

even listening to it now with the wealth of decades of “difficult music listening” behind me, it isn’t easy music to listen to but it blends a natural and instinctive talent - one that you’d associate with people who had grown up in simpler, smaller-scaled times and places which indeed the women in the choir had! here’s a taste of what these extraordinary women shared with the world . . .

1. Preparations for a Journey
2. The Women at the Well
3. The Women at the Well (version)
4. Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares: Pilentze Pee (traditional)
5. Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares: Kalimankon Denkon (traditional)
6. Showing the Wound (a will to health) 17.33 [later overdubbed and titled 'Steel Cathedrals']

what drove the architecture of this work is best summed-up in david’s own words: “"the details are what always interested me. and so i just began to spend more and more time on those details, until they came to the forefront of the material-textures and atmospherics. i began to elaborate on those more and more and push the rhythmic element a little bit further back".

here then in three parts is what would point towards david’s embarkation on a musical journey that still bears rich and varied fruit . . . . .


part one . . .

part two . . .

part three . . .