A piece inspired by the concrete facade of brutalist architecture. The orchestra is used as a blunt instrument, stripped of aspirations of traditional aesthetic ideals. The music instead prioritises raw material and unbending presence in its construction.

There are four sections, each corresponding to an aspect of the architecture that engaged me:

1. Carving a monolith into the sky — the parallel lines that rise from the ground and block out the sun, giving the building shape.

2. Running hand over concrete — the kinetic sensation and sound of concrete.

3. Weighed down — the sheer presence of a hulking grey structure.

4. Looking up — a section of ambiguous musical meaning; this is my romanticised reflection on gazing up at huge buildings free of humanist design.

score