Last Thursday, September 10th, at 22:25, the documentary by Marian Gerrikabeitia, "Ellas primero: pioneras de la gastronomía vasca" ("Women first: pioneers of Basque gastronomy"), in which Borja Ramos collaborated by composing the original soundtrack, premiered on the ETB2 channel of the Basque Public Radio and Television EITB. "Ellas primero" is a tribute to the women without whom Basque gastronomy would not be what it is today: one of the most exquisite in the world. A co-production of Tu&Yo Producciones and Azaroa Films, with the participation of EITB and the collaboration of Emakunde, Diputación Foral de Bizkaia and Hazi. Available on the EITB on-demand website.

Full documentary available on EITB on-demand

It is curious that the great chefs are mostly men, although the kitchen has always been a traditionally feminine place. This documentary is a tribute to those women who have been fundamental in the development of Basque cuisine and whose names are unknown. "Ellas primero" highlights the passion, talent and perseverance of these women chefs who, although they do not appear in history books or culinary schools, are the true pioneers and guardians of our most authentic flavors. / EITB /

In 2009, the pianist Ricardo Descalzo and the composer Borja Ramos created a project in collaboration with Musikene Higher Music Center of the Basque Country, about the complete piano works of the Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina. This project consists of a video recording of the complete work for solo piano written by the composer —an instrument for which she stopped composing during the seventies— and of Introitus (1978) for piano and orchestra, as well as an interview recorded at the composer's home, at Musikene and other locations.

The documentary aims to highlight the importance of Sofia Gubaidulina's piano works; a production that, in total, does not last more than an hour, but which is undoubtedly one of the most significant contributions to the piano repertoire of the second half of the 20th century. The composer talks about her piano music, written more than fifty years ago, and about her memories and influences from that time. Given the scarcity of written or filmed testimonies about this period of one of the most relevant composers of the present time, this documentary has a historical value of great importance.

Photos © Borja Ramos, Ricardo Descalzo

The music of Sofia Gubaidulina (Chistopol, Tatarstan, RU, 1931), guest composer at L'Auditori during the 2022—2023 season, is nourished by philosophical, spiritual and religious references. Religion and music, according to the author, share a common goal: "Re-ligio, the restitution of the legato of life". Her production combines and confronts features of the rich Russian tradition with fundamental concepts of European culture such as opposition, dichotomy or the connection with elements of the Catholic liturgy. / Museu de la Música /

On September 24 and 25 was presented at the Sala Negra of the Teatros del Canal (Madrid, ES) “Terrario. La tierna indiferencia del mundo” (Terrarium. The tender indifference of the world), the new work of Mercedes Pedroche and her company. For the music of the show Borja Ramos has counted on the interpretations of the violinist Mario Pérez and the clarinetist Eduardo Raimundo, members of the Orquesta Nacional de España and the Trio Musicalis. This duo has been joined by guitarist Arturo Blasco, a regular collaborator of the composer. The show is a co-production of the Centro Coreográfico Canal and Teatros del Canal. You can listen the special edition of the music in the main digital platforms. More information in the Discography section.

Photos © Juan Carlos Toledo, Mercedes Pedroche, Borja Ramos

Six strangers find themselves in an unknown space with no entrance or exit door. They don't know how long they have been there. They don't know where they come from or where they are going. And above all, they have no rules or guidelines to judge the others. They are forced to live with their disorientation and bewilderment. Their only reference is a wall that rises at the bottom of the space behind which they think they sense the existence of someone or something that has abandoned them. A microscopic look at our society, where six individuals, like gladiators thrown into the arena, weave their relationships in the face of otherness. Untamed and feral, alien to social composure, their main weapon is madness. / Teatros del Canal /

On 13 and 14 November, “Artificios y leopardos” (Leopards and Devices), the new proposal by Mercedes Pedroche, was presented at Teatro de La Abadía (Madrid, ES). The piece has been developed within the creation program 'A gatas', promoted by Centro Conde Duque, Teatro de La Abadía and RESAD. In this new project, Borja Ramos has been in charge of composing part of the original music, as well as coordinating the global sound of the show.

Photos © Eva Viera

A woman, curtailed by the absurdity of Camus' Sisyphus, lives trapped in the quagmire of a cyclical experience. She roams around listlessly, like a female leopard in a solitary cage, denying creeds and flock mentality. Almost incapable of finding the strength to support her own weight, and conscious of her vulnerability, she follows the tracks from her own failure to the vital impulse that enables her to live in the margin of the embellished and fictitious beliefs that set in motion the social mechanisms. She searches for the complicity of the audience in a collective reflexion, and asks herself if we want or can find freedom in the dance to which Nietzsche so often referred. “Artificios y leopardos” is a hybrid stage performance incorporating both theatre and dance. Through an iterative device a woman canalizes a collective experiment about freedom. / Teatro de La Abadía /

After a creative process with the support of the company Ultima Vez (Brussels, BE) and an artistic residence in Harrobia (Bilbao, ES) Germán Jauregui and Antía Díaz presented on October 18th in Bilbao—within the program of the BAD–Bilbao Antzerkia Dantza festival—their new creation “Rassemblement”, with original music by Borja Ramos, made entirely with analogue synthesizers, and to which electric guitars are added in its final section. You can listen to the album on all major digital platforms. More information in the Discography section.

The world is in a continuous transformation, the hours pass, a plant dies, ideas change, childhood moves away. Each epoch brings with it losses that leave us voiceless, confronted with an immense solitude while the sensible dimension takes on a character of exceptionality. On an empty stage, a woman and a man explore the spaces of their existence where cooperation is essential to weave their everyday life. Oscillating between the me and the us, they seek to create a community, a movement of union and support that allows them to approach a form of freedom. / BAD–Bilbao /

From March 7th to 17th, “Nom” the latest project by the dance company Gelabert–Azzopardi was presented in the Sala Petita of the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. A collaborative creation by Borja Ramos—music, Conchita Pons—lighting, Cesc Gelabert—choreography, and Lydia Azzopardi—costumes. A work based on the interaction of disciplines and improvisation. You can read some of the excellent reviews received, such as the one by Jordi Sora i Domenjó or the one written by Carmen del Val in El País.

The music of the show, performed live by Borja Ramos, had the novelty of being partly diffused by a 3D sound system, developed by Sfëar, a project of Eurecat–Centro Tecnológico de Cataluña. With the installation of 24 speakers throughout the room and controlled by a specific software, the audience could enjoy this particular sound experience. / Teatre Nacional de Catalunya /

Photos © Conchita Pons, Borja Ramos

After a careful selection and remastering work by Juanan Ros, from the studio El Cantón de la Soledad, Borja Ramos presents, through his label Mentalscapes, “Music for Performing Arts”. A triple album that gathers a selection of his works since 1998. Twenty years of music for performing arts, grouped according to their type of sound: electronic, acoustic or mixed. It is already available in streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, among other platforms. You can also listen to a brief selection on its SoundCloud channel. More information in the Discography section.

Triple album covers © Borja Ramos

Each of the three albums is a sound journey through each of the areas of interest of the composer's work: electronic music, written instrumental music and the combination of both. In the first volume, dedicated to his electronic works, you will find influences from electroacoustic music and jazz, but also from minimal techno, glitch music or ambient. The second volume is dedicated to his instrumental works, both written and in combination with improvisations. The third and last volume is dedicated to his mixed works, created by combining traditional instruments and electronic tools. / Borja Ramos /

Borja Ramos creates the original music for the presentation in Brussels of the sculptural work by Todomuta Studio for The House of European History. You can see and listen to the video below.

The tailormade piece will be permanently on display at the museum, a project promoted by the European Parliament for the dissemination of the European Union's common history. The sculpture developed by Todomuta Studio was a commission to create a large scale allegorical piece to reflect the “union in diversity through the use of alphabetical and idiomatic references”.

To evoke this abstraction, the work focused on a perforated font filigree that in combination resulted in a graphic texture mesh that extended along the entire piece. The 25m high sculpture in aluminium and steel becomes the main axis of the exhibition area, as it is located in the atrium of the architectural space and it traverses the building's six floors; behaving like an organic and living element that floats under the skylight, sketching an infinity of ascending movements that expand, not only in the central space, but also in each of the halls of the museum, accompanying visitors during the entire visit.

Todomuta Studio's proposal contrasts with the pure lines of the building designed by Chaix, Morel et Associés. However, some analogies are hinted at by the materials employed and the remaining metallic elements, all vibrating together as a result of the effect of the light coming from above. The transparency of the glass surfaces found throughout the building facilitate the contemplation of the piece at any given moment, as a great variety and wealth of perspectives where the sculpture manifests its maximum eloquence. / Todomuta Studio /