​isabelle eberhardt: the oblivion seeker

Tone Casualties 1997
(reissue)

composition, performance and production: Paul Schütze.

1     ocean of dust
2     wings & the demon
3     smouldering skys
4     slimen
5     a death in the dark
6     by water to night
7     tombs & deceptions
8     the ghost of paris
9     chasing the veil
10   a phantom wedding
11   into a blinding place
12   a lake in the air
13   a gun & the moon
14   oblivion
15   despair
16   a heart of air & tears

"In the morning, the west wind arrived howling like a living thing.I had a fantasy of being lifted up and carried off in the enormous embrace of a winged demon come to destroy us all. And the sand showered on to the terraces with the steady soft sound of rain."

These pieces were written in 1990 as a commissioned score for Ian Pringle's film "Isabelle Eberhardt"
In exploring ways into the material musically I generated three separate "zones" of work : Romantic European-style melodic pieces for the world Isabelle leaves but which never really releases its grip upon her, stylized pieces with a strong Arab flavour which link her to her beloved desert, and pieces in which the two elements conflict to mirror the heart of her dilemma.
Several of the pieces on this disc were not heard in the film but I have included them here to provide a more thorough musical context for what I tried to achieve.
 
Isabelle Eberhardt: a Seaon / Flach Films Aramis production
international Sales: August Entertainment.
producers: Jean Petit, Daniel Scharf.
director: Ian Pringle.
screenplay: Stephen Sewell.
director of Photography: Manuel Teran.
production Design: Jan Schlubach, Bryce Perrin.
editor: Ken Sallows.
cast: Mathilda May, Peter O'Toole, Tcheky Karyo, Richard Moir, Arthur Dingan.

cover concept: Paul Schütze.
graphic design: Anne-Louise Falson.