Franco Esteve: “The Wait” – storytelling via music

Let me start by saying I really enjoy Franco Esteve’s work. He is a master at using music to create colors and emotions for the soundtracks he has scored. He’s produced and directed commercials and music videos, but is best known for his work with The Doll Chronicles series of short films, particularly Consequence, The Doll Chronicles, which he produced and directed. He also composed the music for the series, for which he’s received accolades. Though his work is more focused on scoring for films Franco Esteve is not tied down to any one genre or style, and you might find him listening to Nine Inch Nails, Beethoven, Snoop Dogg, Led Zeppelin and John Barry to She Wants Revenge.

Born in the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, Franco Esteve has had a multicultural upbringing throughout the United States and Europe. From an early age he developed talents in music and piano, as well as acting, later moving towards other areas such production, photography, design, and film. In between his more formal commitments Franco finds time to compose pieces of music which interpret specific thoughts and experiences that intrigue his intellect or afflict his emotions.

Towards the end of 2016 he released the critically acclaimed musical composition, “Quicksand” which reflected the ups and downs we experience in everyday life. Where we find ourselves sinking deeper and deeper, the more we struggle. Now Franco Esteve has worked on a new theme that has plagued his mind – Insomnia. “The Wait” is a classical style piece of music that reflects waiting and anticipation. “It was written out of insomnia and the constant incapacity to sleep,” says Esteve. “It’s something I have personally struggled with throughout my life, and I admit a lot of my ideas flow from those hours fighting with it.”

There has never been a time when human beings enjoyed waiting. Perhaps there was a time when we had a much greater capacity to wait, but that doesn’t mean that waiting was ever a positive experience. The problem, or reality, is that life requires a lot of waiting. And waiting brings anxiety. At the same time though anything that requires growth, also requires waiting. This principle applies especially to the soul. Inner transformation, development, growth, integration, consciousness, and creativity take time. We need to wait for all of that to eventually happen.

Waiting is the canvas of our consciousness. Franco Esteve captures that consciousness as it is working, contemplating, mixing the hues and tones of our mood and attitude with time ticking away, and incarnated here by the pizzicato playing of the violin. The horns, violins and cellos all cover our insides with strokes of hope and despair, sketching the unknown, at once with dark apprehension, and then coloring it with anticipation.

Our souls are bared as we wait, and what it shows depend on what it is carrying within itself – what it reflects upon, connects with, questions, contemplates, imagines, feels, and loves, or hates. Franco Esteve’s “The Wait” perfectly interprets all these palpable anxieties of waiting. Esteve has been a storyteller throughout his career and he certainly displays that extraordinary quality with this great piece of music.