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Silbo (2021) for cello and piano takes inspiration from the fascinating whistling languages that have existed in territories worldwide, developed to communicate from across long distances. Often characterized by mountains or large extensions of land, some of these languages still exist in Mexico, Bolivia, Brasil, Nepal, Turkey, Papua New Guinea, France, Greece, Spain, and multiple countries in Africa. Each place has its own system of codes, tied to its history and heritage. For example, Silbo Gomero (Sylbo from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, Spain) allows for full sentences to be exchanged from up to three miles away. Its origins are associated with the language of Guanche. Spoken in the Canary Islands during pre-hispanic times, Guanche derives from Afro-Asian communities in North Africa. Sylbo from La Gomera not only has been preserved, but has also been granted UNESCO World Heritage status. This work for cello and piano was commissioned by the Cello Teaching Repertoire Consortium. One of my goals with Silbo was to foster curiosity towards these captivating traditions, besides becoming proficient at a wide range of instrumental skills. The cello often utilizes harmonics that create a sound world imitating whistles, while the piano provides the shapes of the landscape; the mountainous expanse, the winds, the subtle sea waves. These ideas are combined with dance rhythms inspired by traditional music of La Gomera island.

— Andrea Casarrubios