Death is Beautiful by Paul Zambrano

The composer Paul Zambrano unfolds in a new musical production for 2020, Death is Beautiful. This new album was released October 2nd, and includes 13 musical pieces that describe a fascinating story of love and sacrifice.

Zambrano, despite his young age, has had a prolific artistic career as a composer and pianist. This is evident in the presence of his different artistic projects, located fundamentally in the field of incidental music for film and TV shows. Because of his excellent work with these projects, Paul has had many opportunities and awarded in countless events. Among them is his Best Film award with the Slipping into Darkness´sfilm teamfrom the Latino Arts and Film Festival in Palm Desert.

The academic musical training of this musician –from his first piano lessons with the professor Harold Brown, to his studies at Florida Atlantic University- has represented a strong influence of classical music. Hence, Paul is one of the creators who are interested in mixing the new possibilities of MIDI´s sound technology with the classic compositional techniques.

All this historical precedent that characterizes Zambrano’s career, leads us to the grand sequence of Death is Beautiful. An album that exposes the ingenious creativity of this composer, which interrelates the majesty of memorable soundtracks such as Lord of the Rings, Requiem for Dream, Vertigo, etc., with the programmatic music of musical legends such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky or Igor Stravisnky . We are in the presence of music without a limit between the classic and the modern.

Death is beautiful is about the story of a young man (Liam) deceived by the tricks of Death. The plot is a tragic and dark fiction, a dialogue between the riddles and the sacrifices that engage with love. Other feelings such as loneliness, insecurity and sadness also play an important role. Liam, the main character in this tragedy, is caught in a disturbing illusion caused by the loss of his beloved Laila. The dichotomy between dream and reality leads this character to perform disorienting and extreme actions until, finally, he commits suicide.

This shocking adventure is transformed into a truly fascinating dramatic-musical discourse. Each element of the story is revealed through beautifully crafted musical codes. Paul Zambrano surprises us with an epic musical arrangement; within it he exploits the many different sounds and possibilities a symphony orchestra format. The sounds blend with some electronic effects to complement intense plot sequences.

If we think about this album as a programmatic musical work, it becomes possible to identify a curatorial work that harmonizes music and history efficiently. These artistic links are translated into both sound and structural aspects.

Death is beautiful, like the great programmatic musical forms of the 19th and 20th centuries, presents a ‘leitmotif’ that describes the transformation of the main character in the plot (Liam). This thematic characteristic, due to the principle of analogy that it represents, works as a thread that connects and delimits each part of the production.

The ‘leitmotif’ is a simple and repetitive melody line that is accompanied by a continuous bass line, generally played by the piano, although it can also be heard in some variation by the strings in “Her”. This element appears developed in different ways throughout the album. We can find it scattered amongst many of the tracks, the author even evoked this repetitive sequence with musical intonations.

Zambrano uses a musical structure that could be divided into two parts or acts. In this structuring there are three pieces that have a determining musical protagonist: “Serenade Last” –the introduction of the album, the theme and the main character are dramaturgically presented, as well as the most relevant musical intonations-, “Interlude” -a musical bridge that connects the first part with the second-, and “Epilogue” –seems to be like a `coda´ or musical summary. All these pieces have similar musical arrangements, especially linked by inclusion of the ‘leitmotif’ or main theme of the album.

The first part or act of Death is beautiful consists of the tracks “Serenate Last”, “Funeral”, “Sleepless”, “Lucid”, “Spiritland” and “Forest.” This part represents the initial transition of Liam –the main character- from his love and painful projection for the loss of his beloved, to the incipient presence of his first psychological disorders. This situation generates a state of chaos during the second part of the album.

After the plot´s introduction in “Serenate Last”, we can listen to “Funeral” and “Sleepless.” These are two purely tranquil pieces but full of sadness and nostalgia. Instead, “Lucid” and “Spiritland” are more hectic, with energetic rhythmic figurations and abrupt changes in dynamics. Both signify the slight transformation of Liam’s world. Finally there is “Forest”, the arrival to fantasy and the terrifying creatures that disturb the protagonist. This last track incorporates exotic sounds with a highly exciting and epic style. It is beautiful to hear the melodic turns of the wind instruments, the vocal ornaments, and the overwhelming orchestral unison.

On the other hand, the second part or act is totally chaotic. This last part is complete with pieces like “Memory”, “Fairy Tale”, “Reality”, “Her” and “Farewell.” Liam –the main character- is torn between the real and the fictional. The music draws the picture with great perfection. “Memory” and “Fairy Tale” are an example of this struggle. Both tracks maintain a calm musical language but still convulsed. There porpoise is to lead the tenth track of the album, “Reality.” This last piece introduces the psychedelic music style in Death is beautiful, deepening the electronic sounds and the destructuralization of the musical codes of the entire album.

“Her” tell us how Liam is totally unbalanced and dying with the illusion of being next to his beloved Laila. This is a romantic piece with tonal harmonies and a slow rhythm that generates a feeling of serenity and firm resignation. Then we have “Farewell”, the most extensive of Zambrano´s songs. To end the story the composer used nine minutes of an intense arrangement that describes Liam´s transformation of acceptance and death.

Death is beautiful is an exquisite sample of the consolidated artistic quality of this musician. Zambrano stands out for his extensive knowledge of compositional techniques; his high understanding of harmony; and his peculiar way of experimenting with acoustic music. The album could become the necessary boost to raise him to the level of renowned film and TV show composers. My simple recommendation is to work on a visual design that meets the demands of this overwhelming musical plot