Earwash

Alumnus Alberto Granados Reguilón (master Klassiek - compositie) studeerde af met Earwash. 

Alberto: 'One day I saw my hyperactive younger cousin of 15 years old very calmed watching a movie on YouTube made of soft sounds. When I asked her about it, she told me that she used it every night in order to fall asleep, that this was called ASMR, and that all of her friends were doing it as well. I got mind blown when I checked the huge phenomenon that ASMR has created, being followed by millions of people all over the world! I wondered: ‘why do people need​ this in order to calm down and fall asleep?’ In a world that is full of stimuli, you also need stimuli to stop the world.  
 
I composed a piece about ‘health’: Earwash. This ‘health’ does not only refer to the most hygienic aspect of the word, but it also brings the focus on a more personal and psychological healthy way of listening and perceiving the world around us, including the confrontation of stimuli like the immense variety of music streamed online, daily sounds and noises, and the vast amount of information and fake news.  
 
In order to compose this piece in times of Covid-19, I had to work with limitations, and use the things that I had with me during the quarantine: myself, the objects of my house, and my imagination. I had to reinvent my role of classical composer who always works with musicians into a more performative and theatrical role, which was a huge adventure that opened a new world of creative possibilities for me. In fact, thanks to the ASMR format, I could use the sound in a very intimate way, almost as if it was ‘tactile’, making it very powerful in times of social distance.
 
This piece is very special for me because I feel it touches something very personal of myself, but it also addresses a universal subject such as ‘health’, being able to connect with a broad audience.'

Henk Heuvelman, directeur Gaudeamus: 'Earwash is een voorbeeld van Alberto's persoonlijke opvatting van muziek en kunst, die het streven toont om de traditionele muziekpraktijk te verkennen en verder uit te breiden, inclusief theater, beeld, humor en tekst, samen met muziek. Deze interdisciplinaire opvatting van muziek is ook thematisch verbonden met de problemen die zich tegenwoordig in de wereld voordoen.'

Jorrit Tamminga, vakgroepvertegenwoordiger compositie Conservatorium van Amsterdam: 'Alberto liet in de opzet van dit stuk zien hoe hij kan profiteren van de nieuwe online situatie, omdat hij zichzelf als componist-performer opnieuw uitvond, inclusief de beperkingen van de huidige situatie van de opsluiting, en deze omzette in inspiratie voor zijn stuk. Met Earwash bevestigde hij zijn brede profiel als componist en combineerde hij compositie, theater, elektronische muziek met stedelijke en folkloristische wortels, allemaal verenigd in een persoonlijk concept: 'de gezondheid van onze oren', een concept dat gaat voorbij de muziek en de kunst, en dat zijn betrokkenheid bij sociale zaken bewijst.'