Long attributed to Rabelais, the 80 etchings of Rabelais "Songes Drolatiques" appeared in the first posthumous reedition of Pantagruel in 1565. Surrealism and symbolism underlie the eclosion of a whimsical nation of impossible, quaint-bodied creatures. Inhumanity, animality are also present in this sombre universe, one of the lesser known sides of the Rabelaisian planet. I found the idea of using computer music to resurrect these creatures trapped in the silence of the page very appealing. The computer-sound resurrection of the medieval fictional characters makes use of the voice and body sounds produced by the Corpus Art Ballet, a French group of dancers. Microscopic sonic details of their actions were sampled (Roland 770), slightly processed (Syter) and digitally reassembled in a mix, all produced on a Studer Dyaxis work station (Mac Mix software).
Additional sounds and textures found in the score include samples of palpitating metal, creaking wood, gurgling liquids and any substance evoking the soundscape of medieval times.

Michel Redolfi (F), born 1951 in Marseille. He is the Director of the Centre International de Recherche Musicale [CIRM] in Nice since 1986, co-founder of the Groupe de Musique Expérimentale de Marseille [GMEM] in 1968, continues to explore situations in which musical innovation implies a playful rapport with the listener. Also pursues the field of electroacoustic music, with compositions that are specially conceived for multi-speaker theaters.