cities of dreams

cities of dreams is a poetic retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's essay the crack-up, 1936. He recounts stories from his life and how he dealt with the human condition. His text is a documentation of his fight with mental health, impostor syndrome, a fear of never leaving a mark, and his relationship to the living world. At the time of publication he had just turned 40 and 4 years following the first essay's publication, he lost his life to an alcohol related heart-attack. A fear of becoming an amalgamation of his mentors and a fear of never being unique. The text resonated with my own existence. Topics relatable to many artists and composers, I resonate with these fears, my own relationship with alcohol during the early stages of the pandemic, and the fight for independence in my art. Composed for Bassoon and Live electronics.