Matthew Herbert in "The Horse"

British artist, producer, composer and experimentalist Matthew Herbert presents in our theater The Horse, his latest composition for orchestra and electronics. The project, born from a collaboration with musical archaeologists, instrument makers, and the London Contemporary Orchestra, centers around the skeleton of a horse. One of the central narrative arcs through the album is its representation of the evolution of human music itself, opening in a compelling, primitive flurry of custom-made flutes from the horse’s thigh bones and bows crafted from ribs and horse hair, and culminating in a vast electro-acoustic dimension that transcends genres – a reflection of Herbert’s experience across diverse fields of contemporary music. The result is a vibrant collective performance which, for the Milan edition, realized in collaboration with UBI Unione Buddhista Italiana, features a 16-piece ensemble that includes young performers from the Bazzini Consort of Brescia. The Horse is an invitation to reflect on the interdependence between animals and humans – both as individuals and as species – and on the vital and symbolic connections with the animal world that have shaped the origins and evolution of music, art, and human consciousness.