Gala Flagello

What the Trees Know

$35.00

Duration: 8'30"

Instrumentation: Oboe, cello, and marimba

Delivery Method: Physical Delivery
Performance Materials: Score and Parts

What the Trees Know, Gala Flagello (2023) 8'30"
for oboe, cello, and marimba

What the Trees Know (2023) was inspired by Richard Powers’ The Overstory, the novel I was reading while in-residence at the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music in December 2022, during which time my colleagues and I visited the California Redwoods on which the book centers. I began to triangulate the ancient trees I read about at night, their real-life incarnations I saw during the day, and their arborous cousins—maple, spruce, rosewood, and grenadilla—comprising the instruments for which I was writing. What the Trees Know seeks to capture not only the visceral woodiness of this entire experience but also the coinciding lessons I learned from the novel, the Redwoods, and my GLFCAM mentors. The piece musically explores collaboration (as trees work together to find sunlight), community (as dead trees support a host of wildlife), communication (as fungal networks talk to one another), and care (as dying Douglas-firs return their nutrients to the soil). 

Immense thanks to Michelle, Chris, Kathryn, Gabriela, and the GLFCAM family for their expertise and encouragement.

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110-050-SP
Delivery Method: Physical Delivery
Performance Materials: Score and Parts

About the Work

Duration: 8'30"

Instrumentation: Oboe, cello, and marimba

Commissioned by: Created under the aegis of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, originally recorded in Boonville, CA, and virtually premiered in summer 2023 by Michelle Farah, Chris Froh, and Kathryn Bates

What the Trees Know (2023) was inspired by Richard Powers’ The Overstory, the novel I was reading while in-residence at the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music in December 2022, during which time my colleagues and I visited the California Redwoods on which the book centers. I began to triangulate the ancient trees I read about at night, their real-life incarnations I saw during the day, and their arborous cousins—maple, spruce, rosewood, and grenadilla—comprising the instruments for which I was writing. What the Trees Know seeks to capture not only the visceral woodiness of this entire experience but also the coinciding lessons I learned from the novel, the Redwoods, and my GLFCAM mentors. The piece musically explores collaboration (as trees work together to find sunlight), community (as dead trees support a host of wildlife), communication (as fungal networks talk to one another), and care (as dying Douglas-firs return their nutrients to the soil).

ISMN: 979-0-094-00837-2

Pages: 15