Un caballo en el castillo de cristal

Un caballo en el castillo de cristal was composed while living abroad in Valencia, Spain during the height of the pandemic. Many early mornings were spent reflecting at the foot of the neo-futuristic Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, which emerges from a sunken park situated in a former riverbed. The stunted and sporadic introduction of Un caballo was directly inspired by the deafening silence of the winding corridors beneath the arts complex, which once housed a river that devastated the city. Originally conceived as a work for bassoon, contrabassoon, and piano, the work eventually expanded to include full orchestra over the course of its development. It portrays the pent-up creativity suppressed over the course of one's life, occasionally escaping in bursts of joy, frustration, and eccentric self-expression. Elements of contemporary orchestral music and mid-century film scores are fused to create a haunting portrait of an unwonted individual seeking a creative outlet in a world of conformity. Throughout the piece, resonance and natural hall reverberations are used to complete chords and establish tonalities, which provides a sense of momentum and anticipation during slower sections. After a thunderous finale, the piece gradually descends back down the dark corridors, consumed again by the inescapable silence.