Habitat — kristinetjogersen.no

Habitat (2022)

Amplified string trio 12’
(with objects and vocoder)

Written for and dedicated to Ensemble Recherche
Premiered at Wittener tage für neue Kammermusik (DE) 8. Mai 2022

score

RECORDING Ensemble Recherche live from Wittener tage für neue Kammermusik

In the piece «Habitat» I have explored sounds of different habitats and transformed it into the format of a string trio. A habitat is a place where an organism makes its home, and contains all an animal needs to survive, such as shelter, water, food, and space.
I have explored both sounds from animal and human habitats. Recordings made by the players in Recherche themselves of their own home-habitats, such as an old refrigerator and other kitchen sounds, a cafe in Paris, and recordings of birds outside an apartment in Freiburg have been investigated and transformed to their instruments.

Gibbon Apes

Also sounds of natural habitats from animals such as the Giant Banjo Frog and the Gibbon Apes are heard in the piece. The ideal habitat for the Giant Banjo Frog, or «Pobblebonk» is a pond in flooded, grassy woodland in Australia. They spend much of their life buried underground, emerging only after sufficient rain to breed, and are known for making distinctive deep 'bonk' calls.

Giant Banjo Frog

The Gibbon apes live in the Asian rainforest. They are strongly territorial, and defend their boundaries with vigorous visual and vocal displays. The vocal element, which can often be heard for distances up to 1 km, consists of a duet between a mated pair. In most species, males and some females sing solos to attract mates, as well as advertise their territories. The song can be used to identify not only which species of gibbon is singing, but also the area from which it comes.
Both species are threatened by habitat loss, since their natural habitats are decreasing because of deforestation and wildfires.