The Music of Everything Left Unsaid: The Making of Debod’s Original Score
The Mallorcan composer has written the original score for Debod, a film directed by Fernando Pardo. A symphonic score in which the piano carries the central melodic thread, the strings shape the emotion, and the clarinet and English horn engage in a dialogue that mirrors that of the film’s protagonists. We speak with Rubén Gallardo about the creative process, orchestration, and a sunset scene that becomes the musical heart of the story.
Debod is a film shot in Madrid that tells the story of Lucas (Marcos López), a young film student whose favourite story is the one he shares with Elena (Lucía Saga), his English teacher of several years. There is a ten-year age gap between them, and although Lucas tries to get closer to her on several occasions, Elena does not share his feelings.
After several attempts, Lucas manages to arrange what he believes to be a date, although for Elena, it is simply an opportunity to help him move on. Together, they spend an afternoon at Parque de la Montaña, beside the iconic Temple of Debod. Amid confidences, silences, and emotions that do not always find the right words, their encounter becomes something more meaningful than either of them had expected.
While Lucas struggles with unrequited love, Elena is going through a period of personal growth in which she feels stuck. Without intending to, that afternoon with Lucas offers her a fresh perspective on herself and the stage of life she finds herself in.
It is within this emotional space, between what the characters feel and what they ultimately dare to express, that Gallardo’s music finds its purpose. A score that does not seek to explain every gesture, but rather to accompany everything left hanging in the air.
IN THE STUDIO. The score for Debod unfolds with a quiet sense of purpose, allowing its emotional world to emerge gradually, without ever rushing its course. Intimacy sets the tone, but beneath its delicate surface, a subtle tension begins to take shape, slowly gathering momentum until it reaches a sweeping symphonic climax.
Every musical gesture serves a purpose. Each instrument brings its own shade of colour, while the melodies weave together to reveal the characters’ inner worlds. At the centre of it all lies the piano, the emotional and melodic anchor of the score.
Introducing the main themes and guiding the music’s progression, the piano provides a sense of continuity as the orchestra gradually expands the score’s expressive range. The strings lend it depth and tension, while the clarinet and English horn enter into an intimate musical dialogue, reflecting the unspoken connection between Lucas and Elena.
One idea captures the philosophy behind this composition particularly well: the piano is the heart, and the orchestra, the soul. The piano carries the emotion with an intimate, personal touch; the orchestra, in turn, envelops it, nurtures it, and gradually brings it to life, allowing it to grow until it reaches its fullest expression.
From Script to First Theme
As is often the case in film scoring, the first spark of inspiration did not come from working directly with the edited footage, but from reading the screenplay. Gallardo connected with the story immediately and began shaping the main melody at the piano. He captured that initial idea in the score, where it would remain until the right moment came to find its place within the film.
The next stage began when Pardo sent him the edited version of the film. With the images before him, the composer could start building the musical foundation, developing the arrangements and shaping the orchestration.
That opening melody became the starting point for a much broader musical structure. Gradually, the score found its place within the narrative, evolving alongside the images and forging its own distinct identity.
What did you want to convey through this score?
“Unspoken love, destiny, and intimacy. There is a feeling that is constantly present, one that seems to be screaming to be heard, yet never quite finds the words to express itself. That is precisely what I wanted the music to convey.”
His answer helps explain why the score resists resolving its emotional tension too soon. In Debod, feeling is never presented as an open declaration, but rather as something that lingers beneath the surface. The music needed to honour that quality while allowing the audience to sense what the characters themselves struggle to express.
Orchestration as Colouring a Story
When discussing orchestration, Gallardo turns to a simple image that brings an otherwise complex process into focus: colouring a story. The story is already there, as is the central musical idea; what remains is to decide which colours to use, how to blend them, and which nuances each moment calls for.
“You have the main idea in your head and know where you want to go, but then comes the work of giving it shape, refining the details, and finding the right colours,” he explains.
Throughout this process, the composition is never static. New ideas emerge, others are revisited, and different musical elements gradually fall into place until they form a coherent whole. It is a process of gradual construction, shaped by notes, experiments, and decisions that accumulate over the course of several months.
In Debod, this search takes the form of a symphonic score that does far more than simply accompany the piano melody. Each instrumental family plays a distinct role in the score’s emotional development. The strings lay the groundwork for the climactic finale, while the woodwinds introduce a more intimate, almost conversational dimension.
The clarinet and English horn are particularly significant in this respect. Their melodies answer one another like two voices reaching out across a distance, creating a dialogue that directly echoes the relationship between the protagonists:
“They work as two voices responding to one another, almost as if they represented the two protagonists. One introduces an idea, and the other answers. It is a musical dialogue that reflects the connection between the characters, their glances, and everything they feel but do not dare to say.”
The audience does not need to consciously identify each instrument for this dialogue to resonate. What matters is that the music conveys the closeness, distance, and emotional tension that coexist throughout the story.
THE SUNSET | When Music Speaks What the Characters Leave Unsaid
Some scenes seem to hold the very essence of an entire film. In Debod, that moment comes during the encounter at sunset: a quiet, unhurried conversation in which glances take on a particular significance and emotions remain just beneath the surface.
It is also where the score takes on a particularly expressive dimension. The music retains its delicacy, yet a sense of tension gradually begins to build. The strings, through their tremolos, create an atmosphere of anticipation, interwoven with the melodies of the piano, clarinet, and English horn.
Each element follows its own path, yet all move towards the same destination. The emotion does not arrive all at once; instead, it gathers little by little, as though the orchestra were giving voice to everything the characters have kept unspoken for so long.
What did you want to convey in this scene?
To me, this scene captures the hidden tenderness that runs through the entire story. It is a gentle, unhurried conversation in which glances carry enormous weight. I wanted the music to express the tension between the two characters, everything they are saying to each other without ever actually putting it into words.”
The challenge lies precisely in finding the right balance. The music must support the dialogue without drawing attention away from it, while revealing an emotional dimension that words alone cannot always convey.
To achieve this, Gallardo combines the tension building within the strings with the melodic interplay of the solo instruments. The piano maintains its connection to the main theme, while the clarinet and English horn contribute their own distinctive voices. Gradually, the orchestra swells towards its final climax, releasing an emotion that has remained restrained throughout the scene.
The climax is not simply a matter of sheer sonic intensity. Its impact lies in the musical journey that precedes it: in the way each instrument helps shape the moment, and in how the score follows the scene’s emotional evolution.
“The strings, with their tremolos, build a sense of mounting tension, while the piano, clarinet, and English horn develop their melodies. Everything gradually comes together, building towards the final climax,” the composer explains.
The result is a scene in which the music seems to articulate what the characters cannot quite bring themselves to say. It neither replaces their words nor explains their feelings. Instead, it creates the space for the audience to sense them.
The Emotion We Don’t Always Consciously Hear
Part of a film score’s work takes place on a level we do not always consciously recognise. Viewers may not notice the tremolos in the strings or the exchange of melodies between the clarinet and English horn, yet still feel the tension, tenderness, or melancholy these musical elements help create.
For Gallardo, this is where part of the magic of film music lies: in its ability to shape the way we experience a scene, even when we are not consciously paying attention to the music itself.
In Debod, this idea feels particularly relevant. The story revolves around feelings that do not always find direct expression, and the score operates within that same emotional space. Its purpose is not to continually underline what unfolds on screen, but to accompany it with sensitivity, allowing the emotion to develop naturally.
The Importance of Trusting the Music
The relationship between composer and director is another cornerstone of the creative process. Fernando Pardo knew that the film’s final climax needed to play a significant role in the story, and he shared with Gallardo the emotional qualities he wanted the music to convey.
With that guidance in mind, the composer was able to develop his own interpretation. This creative freedom allowed him to explore the score’s possibilities while remaining true to the film’s narrative intentions.
“Fernando explained what he wanted to convey and emphasised the importance of the final climax. From there, I had the freedom to develop my own musical vision. When a director trusts you and gives you the space to explore, it creates a truly rewarding creative environment. That trust is essential.”
That trust appears to have been present from the earliest stages of the project. Gallardo recalls the process as a particularly fluid experience, in which his immediate connection with the story made the work feel natural and allowed the musical ideas to find their own way.
Was there any scene that proved particularly difficult to score?
“Curiously, no. It was a very straightforward and rewarding project. I connected with the story from the moment I read the screenplay, which made the process much easier. Working with the edited film then allowed me to develop the music and find the right place for each element within the narrative.”
Rather than overcoming a specific obstacle, the challenge lay in maintaining the score’s emotional coherence: ensuring that the piano, strings, and solo instruments all became part of a unified musical narrative, from the intimacy of the opening to the film’s final moments.
Having explored the ideas that shape the score for Debod, one feeling remains, connecting the music to the story itself: not everything that matters needs to be said out loud.
What would you like audiences to feel when they hear the score?
“I would like them to let themselves be carried away by the music. To feel that blend of tenderness, emotion, and melancholy without needing to analyse every note. To connect with the characters and with everything that remains suspended between them.”
Because beyond the instruments and orchestration choices, music also resonates with the personal experiences of those who listen: the feelings we have kept to ourselves, the conversations that have stayed with us, and the words we never quite found the courage to say.
If the score could be summed up in a single idea, Gallardo is clear about what it would be:
A story told through glances and felt through music.
