A page of the night book

"A period of time
a few minutes long
fifty-eight years wide."

"This recording gave such a strong sense of a moment in time held still - the way in which the space of a minute in the middle of the night can take on the same qualities as an hour during daylight.

"The nighttime rainfall sits as a bed throughout the track, which overall is structured into one section punctuated by the calls of an owl, and a second that highlights the cries of the deer.

"The instrumentation chosen - strings, brass and flute for the most part - is intended to evoke something of the sense of wonder of being in such close proximity to the natural world.

"The overall feel is inspired by the Tomas Transtromer poem quoted above, from which the title comes:

A page of the night book

I stepped ashore one May night
in the cool moonshine
where grass and flowers were grey
but the scent green.

I glided up the slope
in the colour-blind night
while white stones
signalled to the moon.

A period of time
a few minutes long
fifty-eight years wide.

And behind me
beyond the lead-shimmering waters
was the other shore
and those who ruled.

People with a future
instead of a face.

Nighttime nature sounds in France reimagined by Cities and Memory.  

Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.