II. Voices in Green
I spent hours, simply listening to the sound recordings of Amazon Jungle by George Vlad, who is a professional sound engineer. The recordings he made were during the rainy season when humidity is at its highest and birds are the most vocal. The recordings transport you into the heart of the jungle which feels incredibly – alive. The exotic calls of the birds and the echoes from other birds of the same species, the insects, the frogs and the rain; you can practi-cally feel and smell the rain. It is very much like music, the music of nature, of Earth. The density of growth with every shade of green is the backdrop for this beautiful, strange opera. I knew I wanted to write music to it. I composed Voices in Green with the Amazon jungle sounds playing as a backdrop while I composed. It influences every note and phrase. In my mind and heart, I was there, adding my voice to theirs. Voices in Green can be performed strictly on its own. The sound files are available as well if groups would like to perform it within — the Amazon Jungle. J.G.
