Last December, CreativeMornings brought us to Second Home, the brand-new creative space in Lisbon, located right next to the Mercado da Ribeira. Perfect venue, as one of their core missions is to give the conditions for creativity to flourish. Here we were, surrounded by books, plants and early birds ready for an exploration of music. 

The theme of December was sound, and we got the chance to listen to Rafael Toral sharing his vision, and his music!

Before we start, Rafael asked us to close our eyes. We were all set to hear something, as surprising as it can be, when he had an exquisite requirement: “Now, close your ears”. That’s when it became more complex. 

First of all, what’s a sound? For example, if a tree falls and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? Actually, it’s a vibration only, because sound comes from the brain recognition of this vibration. Taking into account the three dimensions of sound - frequency, dynamics and time - we are now able to understand the journey from sound to music.

When he talks about music, Rafael focuses on two key components: silence and space. In our society, saturated by sounds, he chooses to play with silence and explores how sound emerges from it. In this regard, he mentioned the experimentations of the composer John Cage, who further questioned how silence may incorporate sounds with his famous 4”33. 

Following on this reflexion, if silence can’t be free of sounds, how can we free the music? Music is often associated to freedom, but usually led by patterns. Can music overcome patterns? That’s what Rafael is discovering. His own musician path took him from jazz music, to jams sessions and now a unique kind of composition - By the way, did you know that jam sessions comes from “jazz after midnight”?

When many of us are searching for freedom in music, Rafael is searching how music can be free. Questioning sound, space and silence is fully part of this process. He creates a lexical of sounds and shapes. Focusing on how long is the sound. Should it be repeated? Should the silence be before or after. Shorter or longer?  What kind of articulation is there between sound and silence? Is it a long line? It’s very elemental and that’s maybe because he reminds us that the first harmony belongs to nature. Even if we focus on how the instrument is giving back and rethink the next steps, music is escaping.

That’s the magic of sound, and that’s why you should definitely join us next time for a Creative Morning on mystery.