Carla Garcia Ginjaume
Lawson’s Cypress – Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
The ‘death’ symbolism of the Lawson’s Cypress tree deeply influenced the approach of my composition. I wanted to give the piece a dark, mourning character. My first idea was to emphasise a processional beat. I also aimed to distort the image (and the sound) to try and relate to the confusion and unclarity of the symbolic context.
Lucombe Oak – Quercus hispanica ‘lucombeana’
I was really fascinated by the shape of the leaves of the Lucombe Oak tree. Their ‘spikiness’ inspired the rhythmic pattern of the piece as well as the timbre of the chosen sounds. All the sounds used in this piece are pre-recorded samples played by the instrumentalists of Locus Ensemble: Zacharias Wolfe (oboe), Simone Geda (saxophone) and Lucía Polo Moreno (double bass). I electronically sound-processed them by increasing their velocities, in order to make the sounds so high that what was left was an extremely percussive sound that gave a certain groove to the piece. I also included a simple progression of chords played by the oboe that gave a kind of calmness to the very rhythmic, percussive pattern.
Rowan – Sorbus aucuparia
For this piece I only used pre-recorded samples played by the instrumentalists of Locus Ensemble. I processed them electronically to obtain a varied range of intriguing sounds. For me, the Rowan tree has a lot of dynamism in its shape and colours, especially when bearing fruit. I chose to reflect this highly vigorous character by giving the piece a very rhythmic and unstable temperament. An obsessive bass accompaniment is tinged with frequent apparitions of high, strident noises that contribute to its colourful cheekiness. These textures are slowly overlapped by a trembling sonority that breaks the incessant and obstinate bass movement.
Indian Horse Chestnut – Aesculus indica
I wrote two pieces for two Indian Horse Chestnut trees. I mainly used samples of sound recorded by the instrumentalists of Locus Ensemble. I electronically processed some of these sounds to create short musical images of the tree. I wanted to reflect two of the most attractive features of this tree: its great magnificence; and its beautiful, white flower.
The first texture symbolises the grandeur of the tree’s vibrant foliage with a high, striking chord and its following lower resonance. The chord has some movement in it, which reminds me of the movement of the leaves caused by a soft breeze. This harmony progresses to a scintillating bell-like tone that gives a different colour to the image, combined with a creaking sound that moves around the listener. The second piece calls these elements in reverse.
Carla G Ginjaume is a Spanish composer currently studying for a MMus (Composition) at the RCM as a Charles Stewart Richardson and RCM scholar. Her professors include Haris Kittos, Simon Holt, Gilbert Nouno and Jonathan Cole. Her works have been performed by a variety of ensembles, including the Royal Northern Sinfonia (winning third place at the RNS Young Composers Competition Prize 2018/19), the Composers Studio Ensemble, the Curious Chamber Players, the ensemble BCN216 and the Ensemble Ticino Musica. She is a founding member of Locus Ensemble.