by Thomas Lau: "Is it a hand written 'Best wishes Autograph'?"
Catherine Duc: "Yes, the autograph is personally done on every CD with permanent marker :) I do it in small batches at a time, and listen to music while I autograph. I'm glad the album arrived safely and quite quickly. Thanks very much for the '5 star review' on Amazon :) That was exactly my aim when writing the album - to provide a musical background where people could get away from the stress of everyday life, and to use their imagination for creative visualisation."
Thomas Lau: "How long did you work on it? In our last interview you didn't tell us any secrets about it..."
Catherine Duc: "'Visions and Dreams' took over 2 years to complete. I wasn't working on the album constantly, because I was also studying and doing assignments for my Film Music Diploma (this took 2 years). The first song I composed for the album was 'Essence of Dreams' at the beginning of 2003. I wanted to create an album with a theme; that would take listeners on an aural journey. I think music really helps to relax us, and allows us to take a break from the stress of day-to-day activities."
Thomas Lau: "Your song 'One Autumn Day' is a jewel! Today the summer in Germany ended, and I'm listening again and again to this song...-Wow! What a melody, what an arrangement - When did you write it?"
Catherine Duc: "I think music really does make a difference in emotions and your state of mind. I'm very happy you liked 'One Autumn Day' :) I tried to make a comparison with the seasons changing, and changes in life. 'One Autumn Day' was written during April 2003 (Autumn in the southern hemisphere). Autumn is my favourite season, because I find the changing colours of the trees really beautiful and inspiring. Also the weather is quite pleasant where I live (Melbourne, Australia) during Autumn." Thomas Lau: "You've got a film music diploma. I estimate that we can see a movie in the future with music written by Catherine Duc. Is this your next aspiration?"
Catherine Duc: "Yes, definitely in the future, I would love to write music for a movie and apply the skills I've learned from my music course. I'm also very interested in sound effects/design in films. When I go to the movies, I pay a lot of attention to the music and sound design. I also plan on creating more albums, and have another one in the works :)" Thomas Lau: "How important are visual influences for your music?" Catherine Duc: "Visual influences are very important in my music. I usually imagine scenes, and then compose music for that 'imaginary film' in my mind. I'm inspired by epic movies with beautiful scenery (such as Titanic and Lord of The Rings), and also by nature. When I was writing 'One Autumn Day', I thought of walking through a garden with the leaves falling around me. In the bridge of the song, I imagined the wind changing and getting colder - that's why the mood changes in that part." Thomas Lau: "Music by Catherine Duc is very international! Which countries have you visited in your life" Catherine Duc: "I really enjoy listening to music from different countries, from traditional world music to ethnic fusion. So this has influenced my music, particularly Celtic music. So far, I've only been overseas a few times - to New Zealand, the USA and Canada. I'd love to visit Europe one day, especially Ireland." Thomas Lau: "Are you an immigrant or an Aborigine?" Catherine Duc: "My parents are originally from Vietnam, and I was born in Australia." Thomas Lau: "Were you born in Melbourne?" Catherine Duc: "Yes, I was born in a suburb of Melbourne." Thomas Lau: "What instruments do you play?" Catherine Duc: "The first instrument that I learned formally was keyboard, followed by classical piano. Recently, I started learning the tin whistle." Thomas Lau: "Did other musicans play on 'Visions and Dreams'?" Catherine Duc: "It's just me producing this album, although I've collaborated with other musicians before.." Thomas Lau: "Do you want to release your first CD 'Forest to Sea' again?" Catherine Duc: "I won't be releasing 'Forest to Sea' again, as I have plans to release new material instead. So if anyone has a copy of 'Forest to Sea', it's quite a rarity ;)" Thomas Lau: "Do you have your own studio?" Catherine Duc: "I have a home studio setup. This is where I do all the composing, recording and mixing." Thomas Lau: "How did you get Toby Learmont from Sony Music for the Mastering?" Catherine Duc: "I made enquiries at a few studios, and decided to go with Sony for the final mixing. My album was mastered at Sony Australia's mastering studio near Sydney." Thomas Lau: "Do you play 'live'?" Catherine Duc: "I don't play keyboard or piano live, but have sung at weddings and in choirs." Thomas Lau: "Is there a chance that you are singing on your next album?" Catherine Duc: "Yes, if that's what people want to hear :) Actually, I've already recorded vocals on a few tracks for the next album. These are ambient background vocals, in a similar style to the 'Visions and Dreams' album. Maybe there will be a track with lyrics too :)" Thomas Lau: "What are you doing if you are not making music?" Catherine Duc: "I'm working full-time in an office job during the day. Up until recently, I was also studying music part-time. So I don't have much spare time, but with the free time I have, I enjoy going for walks, catching up with friends and listening to music." Thomas Lau: "What has 'Visions & Dreams' changed in your life?" Catherine Duc: "Since I was studying film composition during the time I was working on 'Visions and Dreams', I've learned so much musically from my tutors and students in my course. They have been very helpful and encouraging. In my personal life, I've become more appreciative of all the blessings in my life." Thomas Lau: "Which of all your songs is the one with the most identification with yourself?" Catherine Duc: "I'd have to say 'One Autumn Day'. There are different moods in this song, and this reflects the changing season of Autumn, and the changes in life." Thomas Lau: "I saw your pictures in the song description page on your website. The image from 'Essence of Dreams' is interesting - what's this?" Catherine Duc: "The image for 'Essence of Dreams' on my website is a picture of a dreamscape. I like it because it looks surrealistic, and think it suits the mood of the song." Thomas Lau: "How important is this track for you? Why is this track your first "single" from 'Visions and Dreams'?" Catherine Duc: "'Essence of Dreams' is a special song for me, because this was the first song I composed for my album. This song set the mood and theme for the rest of the album. When I was choosing the track order for the album, I couldn't decide between 'Essence of Dreams' and 'Evocation' until the day before I sent the album to be engineered. I finally decided on 'Essence of Dreams' because it was the first song I composed for the album, and inspired 'Evocation'. 'Evocation' uses some of the instruments in 'Essence of Dreams', and develops that theme." |