Thunders of Calbuco
for Orchestra
dur. ca. 8min
Thunders of Calbuco takes the emotional impact and visual aesthetics of numerous pictures and videos of the eruption of Mount Calbuco (located in Chile). These medias showcase an enormous ash cloud dwarfing the landscapes and covering the large area like a tree. This cloud continuously rising higher and higher in the sky. The rise of ash creates two very distinct sections of the cloud. The trunk of the ash is rough and bulgy in texture, but also bubbles and expands unpredictably. Above the giant tower of ash is a smooth, wispy, and luminous layer of clouds that change in a spectrum of colors as time passes. As day becomes night, the ash slowly turns from a bland grey to a bold black. The atmosphere becomes dark and violent while magma morphs and lightning dances. Taking these images in mind, Thunders of Calbuco is constructed in two big sections.
The first section showcases the ash cloud in its two main sections. It moves back and forth between the rough bulging trunk of the cloud and the luminous layer of cloud. The two ideas are shown through a set of variations, each variation showcasing different aspects of the continuous rising cloud of ash. The second section showcases the destructive qualities of the volcano at night time with a chaotic dance to conclude the piece.
Score
