In a world where musical innovation often takes center stage, the collaboration between Maddelena Ghezzi and Ruth Goller stands out as a testament to the power of nature-inspired creativity.
We endeavour to explore their latest work, “Dolomite,” part of Ghezzi’s Minerals series, which seamlessly blends the talents of different musicians across five compositions.
This project epitomizes the ethereal, eclectic, and deeply moving aspects of the natural world through music. The launch of this EP at Green Note in Camden provided the perfect backdrop to delve into their inspirations, influences, and collaborative dreams.
1st 3 Magazine: It’s so lovely to meet you both. At 1st 3 Magazine, we are really interested in new sounds and ideas. We are intrigued by your music and project together. Where is home for you, and how did this all begin?
Maddelena Ghezzi: Home for me is Milan, but I have a connection to the Dolomites because I used to spend my summers there.
1st 3 Magazine: Are you both Italian, and did you know each other before?
MG: Yes, but we didn’t know each other before we both lived in the UK. We’re not from the same region in Italy. We met here, in London.
1st 3 Magazine: Where did music start for you?
MG: My dad was in a band, and my mum was in a choir that sang classical music. But I studied Jazz. When I was tiny, I was in choirs, but I started Jazz singing from the age of 15 or 16. It was a good upbringing—I was encouraged to sing from a young age.
1st 3 Magazine: What about you, Ruth?
Ruth Goller: I played violin, piano, and guitar. I joined a punk band when I was a teenager and was very much self-taught. Then I started playing bass at 18 or 19, towards the end of my school years. I wanted to study music, so I moved to London, where I discovered Jazz and then studied it.
Everything inspires me, whether it’s a walk to Sainsbury’s or being up on a beautiful mountain or listening to a classical orchestra."
1st 3 Magazine: What was in your parents’ record collection, and how did this influence you?
MG: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, as well as classical music—Chopin, Bach—all kinds really.
RG: My parents didn’t listen to a lot of music at all. My dad sang in male choirs, but my mum is not a musical person. Music wasn’t a big part of our lives. I discovered music on my own. I discovered Michael Jackson when I was 11 or 12 and thought his music was the best thing ever! Then I got into punk music around 13. I was into punk hardcore, like Dead Kennedys and Sex Pistols.
MG: The Dolomites have been a big influence on me for this Minerals project. Ruth is from there, so the connection between us felt very strong. It’s a place that is your roots, Ruth, and that has also shaped my upbringing. I was a city kid from Milan going to this incredible, other-worldly place.
1st 3 Magazine: The connection between you must have seemed quite natural when you met. Had you already written some of your Minerals project?
MG: Minerals is a series (this is number 5), and they are not all necessarily linked to a place. They are different collaborations. For this one, I have been going to the Dolomites for a long time. I went to do a secular pilgrimage for my dad with my dad’s family. I wanted to do something around that…
1st 3 Magazine: Did you lose your dad?
MG: Yes. It was a healing journey, you know, to write. Going to the mountains and writing this music has been cathartic, therapeutic.
when you are a creative, you are inspired by everything!."
1st 3 Magazine: I have read that you have also been inspired by other creative experiences—literature being one. Tell us about how the relationship of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West has inspired your music.
MG: I was in a collective and became interested through reading the letters they exchanged. I know some actors, and we put on a show. We re-enacted the letters, and I wrote the music as part of the performance.
1st 3 Magazine: What about visual artists? Do they inspire you?
MG: Yes—when you are a creative, you are inspired by everything!
RG: Everything inspires me, whether it’s a walk to Sainsbury’s or being up on a beautiful mountain or listening to a classical orchestra. Everything in life goes in somewhere. The older you grow, the more you’re able to translate and express what you’re feeling, and that’s what comes out. That’s the art. That’s the skill of the artist—learning how to process the art inside and communicate that.
The voice is so versatile—it is exciting to use it with noise, electronics, different sounds, and timbres."
1st 3 Magazine: Tell us a little about your writing process.
RG: For me, this was interesting because I usually write on my own. I don’t usually write with other people. It’s not that I’ve not wanted to do it; it’s just easier for me. But we met, there was a connection, and we both had a couple of ideas, sketches… we came together and shared them.
1st 3 Magazine: Could you explain what “sketches” means in this context?
RG: Melody. Some sketches are written in standard notation… but with the Dolomites, it started with language. There is German, Italian, and an ancient Roman language. So we had this idea of writing a poem about the water and stones from that area. Maddelena, you wrote the poem, didn’t you? And a few months later, we did it in all four languages (including English). The words are the same for each song but in different languages. The words were the starting point. For me, it’s usually the other way around—the music comes first.
MG: I really enjoy working on collaborative projects. You have the germ of an idea, and then it is developed. In fact, Ruth was on tour in the States when it was finalized. We did a lot of the collaboration and development over email. Our music is a conversation.
RG: It’s all about making art. I don’t want to tell people what I’m thinking when I write it. I want to give a direction or something; I want the listener to process their emotions, to offer a tool of interpretation so they can think about whatever they need to think about. It’s their choice.
MG: We wanted to tell a story in an ever-changing environment that we are witnessing. For me, in the original English, I wanted to express how water feels. Not just on the body, but how it would feel to be water.
1st 3 Magazine: Who are you hoping to connect with through your music? Who are you writing for?
MG: We don’t write for a specific audience in that way. It’s more like these ideas related to the place, and then it has been amazing to see who has connected—people of all ages have expressed excitement and love for it.
1st 3 Magazine: And whose music are you excited about at the moment?
MG: Ruth’s solo project Skylla is exceptional—I love its intensity and intimacy.
1st 3 Magazine: Maddelena, you describe yourself as a ‘voice player’; tell us more about that.
MG: The voice is so versatile—it is exciting to use it with noise, electronics, different sounds, and timbres. There are lots of brilliant musicians in London that I’m definitely in awe of!
performing at Green Note and launching our EP is amazing."
1st 3 Magazine: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
RG: I would collaborate with a Norwegian guitarist, Stian Westerhus. He’s amazing. I’ve been thinking about writing to him to establish a connection.
MG: Maria Grand, the saxophonist from New York and Switzerland. I’ve been really inspired by her.
1st 3 Magazine: What is your dream place to perform?
MG: I would love to play in London’s South Bank or Barbican—that would be the dream!
RG: The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. It’s a really old American theatre where they put on a lot of jazz, African music, and music from all around the world.
MG: We are so happy to be here—performing at Green Note and launching our EP is amazing. We love how iconic it is and are excited to share our collaboration with everyone.
Maddalena Ghezzi and Ruth Giller played Green Note in Camden on 14th June 2024
