In Oaxaca, Día de Muertos feels like listening to a nocturne. The atmosphere constantly shifts from joy and loud laughter to darker tones and quiet, distant voices. This mixture of sounds, strangely, reminded me of a confession rather than an overwhelming cacophony.

While editing this series, I remembered Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night, a piece about love, revelation, and the quiet redemption that can only unfold in darkness.

“What the Dead Listen To” explores the atmosphere surrounding the celebration and those places where the night seems to absorb everything: memory, sorrow, joy, tenderness, and the hope that the beloved—living or dead—can be forgiven and welcomed home again