On June 9th, at our 6th subscription concert at the Stadtcasino Basel, we will present "Female Exploration," featuring works by five powerful female composers, including the Swiss premiere of "TRUST ME" by the young Barcelona-based composer Gemma Ragués Pujol.
We are very much looking forward to this collaboration and the new work!
Gemma Ragués Pujol is a Spanish composer, writer, and performer specializing in contemporary and experimental music. Her pieces aim to be absurd, enigmatic, and humorous. Her art seeks a fusion of voice, text, acoustic instruments, performance, electronics, and a powerful stage presence. She develops narratives and dramaturgies brimming with dreaminess, humor, and irreconcilable contradictions. As a performer, she has appeared at venues including the 2022 Venice Musica Biennale and the Tafelhalle Nürnberg. Her works have been presented at festivals such as the Venice Biennale, ECLAT, Jardins Musicaux, and the Bern Music Festival.
1. How did you first come into contact with "classical music" and why have you been unable to let go of it?
As a child and teenager, I attended a music school. I remember playing and listening to a lot of Haydn, Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart—everything from early music to the Classical period (in the sense of the era) and a little Romantic. There were children who played the viola da gamba, harpsichord, and spinet, and there were no brass instruments. I grew up with this range of sounds, which became very real to me and formed my musical foundation and fixed point of reference. I associated "classical music" with the music that belonged to the Classical period.
Later in life, I became acquainted with contemporary music and found that the term "classical music" is generally used as the opposite of contemporary music to represent a standard or a long-established form. When we use it in this sense, "classical" refers to things that are considered established, and that's where it becomes subjective. You can find a lot of contemporary music that could be described as "classical" in the sense of "established."
I prefer to stick with my childhood association: classical music = music from the classical music era.
2. You describe yourself as a composer, author, and performer. What are the characteristics of these creative professions, what do they have in common, and what makes them different?
I like to use more than one term to broaden the concept of composition. It's often quickly associated with music and sound, but in my case, I see composition as the process of sequencing material over time. I search for and select the material best suited to expressing a particular idea; this material can be anything: music, text, video, movement, objects, and so on. My job is to organize and present it.
I don't see many differences between writing text and composing music, and I often feel that the two complement each other. Text can convey meaning in a very direct way, and you can be very pragmatic with it. Music is much more abstract. And both have rhythm, dynamics, articulation, tempo, humor, and can convey emotion and power.
Performing is a little different for me. There, I am a medium. I like to bring the work to life and share the stage with others, perhaps because you are very much alone when composing. That's the other side of the coin. But I try to find a balance. If I'm always focused on performing, I lose perspective on the bigger picture.
3. For our next program you have written a new work, "TRUST ME": What is it about? What were your ideas while writing it, and what was your inspiration?
"TRUST ME" presents a loop of thoughts about trust that appear night after night in a person's mind and include an ex-girlfriend, a boss, Jack and Rose, a mother, and a therapist.
The text and concept stem from my belief that trust is essential in healthy relationships. When trust breaks, the relationship can become dramatically unbalanced. The fear of losing trust overwhelms the person and leads to an escalation of racing thoughts. To organize the loop, the person lists them each night in the order they appear.
The piece is based on some personal experiences but also contains a lot of fiction. I like to talk about everyday and routine experiences and approach difficult situations with humor. I think this can shift perspectives and bring us compassion and well-being.
4. If you hadn't become an artist, what would you have become?
It's one thing to be an artist, and another to make a living solely from art—which is very difficult and challenging these days, given the low value placed on culture. The opportunity to make a living from art comes and goes and has little to do with whether or not you are an artist.
When I was a small child, I loved inventing new words, my own code and languages. I remember having a "secret dictionary" where I wrote down the words I invented and their meanings. I think I was already an artist or creator back then.
Now I'm fortunate enough to materialize that creative spirit through composition. I like to think that if it hadn't been composition, I would have found other ways to be creative, either as a main profession or in my spare time.
5. The Basel Sinfonietta has made it its mission to perform "music that reflects the spirit of the times." What motivates you? And how would you like to influence the world?
For me, art is an ancient form of human expression. I see concerts, exhibitions, readings, storytelling, and so on as ritualistic experiences or gatherings that seek understanding and communication in a very intimate way, and I believe they can have a profound impact on individuals and communities.
I like being part of spaces that are open to embracing diverse voices and where new ideas and forms of expression can flourish.
I view each project as a new creative system that needs to be materialized. This stimulates me; it sometimes feels like solving a mathematical problem that no one has solved before. This personal and intimate phase drives me forward; it's a big part of the process, but ultimately, my goal is to share my creations. You never really know what the outcome will be (unless people tell you), but I believe in the power of art to stimulate thought, evoke emotions, and effect social change.
