For marimba, Max/Msp and electroacoustic sounds
Performed by Robert Esler (www.robertesler.com) ‘Rimbarimba’ was composed as part of the project ‘Far from silence’ with percussionist Robert Esler. Throughout various sessions in England and the USA the piece evolved into its final form which consists of a score and a Max/Msp patch in order to trigger the required stereo sound files from the computer. The creation of recognisable links between different media is one of the main concerns in ‘Rimbarimba’. The integration of rhythmic and spectral materials from the live instrument and the electroacoustic part are therefore central to the piece. ‘Rimbarimba’ can be considered as a mix between artificially generated sound worlds, layers of recorded sound related to the marimba and a human element that works as a “bridge” between multiple musical levels. I wanted this piece to be more of a process of exploration than a pre-planned set of musical rules. Decisions were constantly taken in order to emphasise some of the elements that emerged throughout the compositional process. ‘Rimbarimba’ was commissioned with funds from the USA-Mexico fund for culture in 2001 and created at the composer’s studio in London.