Kraken

scored for orchestra (3232.4231. Timp. Solo2perc.pno.strings)

When I began to conceive the theme for the percussion concert, I wanted the music to reflect a force, an energy, and a power that was both musical and emotional.

One day, someone very special recommended that I watch the documentary My Octopus Teacher. This documentary tells the story of a female octopus and all the strategies she uses to survive.

These creatures are solitary and lead peculiar lives. They are highly skilled, intelligent, fast, and possess great physical and emotional strength. They survive countless dangers in the vast ocean: predators, humans, parasites, among others. The mythology of the Kraken came to mind, as it bears great similarity to the story of the octopus in the documentary, with both fighting to survive their predators.

In this piece, the Kraken represents the orchestra, engaged in a struggle for survival against its predators, symbolized by the two soloists. It is a back-and-forth of narratives, a battle between the soloists and the orchestra, transitioning from moments of high tension to others of great strength and energy, interspersed with calm passages that maintain a constant sense that something is about to happen, culminating in an immense explosion of energy and force.

To me, Kraken is a reflection on the struggle between nature and everything that seeks to destroy it today—a resistance to survive and endure.