Viva la Selva!
Natasha Barrett
Programme notes
In the New Year of 1999 a number of items of recording apparatus, a colleague, and myself travelled to a Central American rain forest. The aim of this adventure was to record animal vocalisations over a continuous 24-hour period with a microphone array. The data we recorded was used for bioacoustic research and music composition.
In Viva la Selva
Most of the source sounds are insect, bird, frog and monkey calls. Some of these animals can be seen, while other bizarre sounds do not reveal their causes. After some days in the forest, the spectral distribution of the sound environment revealed interesting inter-species sound relationships, and this idea is manifest in the composition where many animal calls have been temporally and spatially substituted by human vocal articulations.
Part of the 24-hour recording period took place at night, during which time it was necessary to venture into the forest to change DATs and batteries. Armed with only a torch, vision is confined to a single shaft of light, yet in the expanse of darkness, a busy system is at play…
Viva la Selva
Viva la Selva
Premiere
- October 2, 1999, Concert, Oslo (Norway)
Awards
- Composer(s): Natasha Barrett
- Year of composition: 1999
- Duration: 17:28
- Instrumentation: stereo fixed medium
- Publisher(s): Ymx média
- Commission: NICEM with support from the Norsk Komponistforening
- ISRC: CAD500214800
Movements
Morning introduction (claiming territory)
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Movement of:
Viva la Selva
!
Midday heat (mad insects, mellow birds and lazy day dreams)
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Movement of:
Viva la Selva
!
Dancing at night (a frenzied bizarre)
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Movement of:
Viva la Selva
!
Dawn and rain (long live the forest! )
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Movement of:
Viva la Selva
!
