Wooden Dominoes and Other Homes is a piece about houses (with and without windows), deforestation, and self-destruction. A tree falls; fauna scurry. A window shatters; we, humans, scream. Such is the relation that this work hopes to convey. In other words, the project of this piece is to sonically intertwine the scenes of habitat destruction with those of the (human) refugee crisis, whether from our subjugation of people or our subjugation of nature itself. It aims to exist in a state of hyper-visual sonic realism, calling forth visceral soundscapes from the depictions of noises in a scene—such as a tree collapsing at the laborious whim of a hand-saw. Silence in this piece is the numb silence which follows disaster, which follows death. Let the pauses be poignant, still, and patient. Sit with the image in your mind, and allow yourself a moment to gaze upon it.

It is with the sincerest gratitude that I thank Maestro Claudio Cohen and the members of the Orquestra Sinfônica do Teatro Nacional Cláudio Santoro for providing me with the rare privilege to write this music. I would also like to extend the warmest of thanks to Diogo Carvalho, whose trust in me as an artist has empowered me as a composer.

Written for the Brasília Orchestral Summit; Premiered by the Orquestra Sinfônica do Teatro Nacional Cláudio Santoro at the Teatro Plínio Marcos, Brasília, Brazil on August 2nd, 2024.

Technique Demonstrations