Cascioli's "debut"

Extraordinary pianist and composer indifferent to the rules of the avant-garde

Known throughout Italy and abroad for his astonishing talent as a pianist, twenty three year old Gianluca Cascioli will make his debut at Le Muse as composer and conductor of a large orchestra with "Symphony in four movements". About ten years ago, a stroke of luck led him to perform pieces of contemporary music and lesser known works by past masters on the piano. His strong personality shone through, inspired to follow a path which explored the unknown, avoiding the standard formalities of contemporary performances and compositions.

"As the title says, - Cascioli explains, - I am presenting a symphony in four movements in Ancona. The first slow and lyrical movement is followed by the second movement which, instead, uses a dodecaphonic style for a theme with contrasting variations. Then there is another slow piece entitled "Parfum exotic", like the poem by Baudelaire that inspired me and which I try to describe each verse of in the music. To give it an exotic character I chose a musical style similar to Messiaen's one. The last is the most substantial movement, lasting approximately twelve minutes and reminiscent of the music and the titles by Vàrese. It is called "Voyager", just like a space probe, because the type of music explores different places and changes continuously, although the flow is consistent from beginning to end. This music is based on controlled chords, but underneath there is percussion which creates the atmosphere and rhythms typical of the music of Vàrese".

How do you think the public will respond to this your first symphony?

"The piece is understandable. It is not my main intention to make it difficult for the listener with abstruse and difficult music, because the timing don't seem right to me. There is already an incredible gap between the composer and the listener. To stop each one going ahead of his own accord, it is necessary for our contemporary music to find a public

who wants to follow it".

There seems to be a controversial tone to your statements. Which route do you think will bring the listener closer to contemporary music?

"I hope that the time has finally come where every composer can write what they feel, without having to ask themselves: can I do this or can't I? Those who write music nowadays ask themselves too many of these questions, they eliminate one passage because it is similar to another composer's, they avoid writing tonal music and well defined rhythms. Basically, what is known as avant garde is nothing but an infinite series of rules and, as far as I am concerned, does not help us much. I would like all experiences of avant garde to be presented together with the music of the past. Instead it happens that, attracted by novelty, we automatically get rid of what there was before. Yet everything can be integrated sensibly, like in a language where we don't get rid of a word just because we have learnt a better one. I don't see why we need to replace everything. Only if we manage to blend and use all music, from the past and the present, with all the experiences we have, will we be able to lay the foundations on which people can find a common ground, the understandable quality in a musical piece. And I'm also referring to the use of tonality".

The subject is reflected in your all-consuming and highly personal manner of performing a varied repertoire made up of unperformed pieces.

"That's true, I have always chosen lesser performed pieces. It all started with the Umberto Micheli Contest in Milan which had quite an interesting programme, based on music from the twentieth century and on the most unusual things by Beethoven, such as Fantasia for 77. I began my career as pianist playing this repertoire on tour. Even for my first recordings, I had to unearth what was less well known. Only now have I started to tackle famous pieces, but I believe that they should be presented in a way which has something different to say compared with those which have already been heard, otherwise I don't see the use in constantly offering the same music again and again, in exactly the same way. The interesting part of listening should be the novelty, the difference, the amazement. It is the unknown which constantly attracts us. Instead, too many critics believe that people don't enjoy themselves if they don't hear the same things played with the exact same interpretation they expect to hear. If we go down this route, there is no future for music. However, I know too well how often it happens in a concert that the public puts up resistance to a conductor who changes the tempo of a passage or makes a certain phrasing different. This is a problem, especially if we consider the beginning of the twentieth century when the interpretations and the interpreters varied greatly from one another: there was Furtwangler and Toscanini with their opposing visions of music. Today it is all the same. There are, it's true to say, different personalities but one feels that they belong to this age of total unification".

Tell us about your artistic career.

"I am known as a pianist, but right from when I was really young I nurtured an interest mainly in composing. I listened to many classical music records which I had at home and this gave me the desire to write. Curiosity led me to study an instrument and not composition straightaway. At eight years of age, I began to study the piano seriously. I had learnt the basics from people in my family who more or less knew the instrument. I studied in Turin first of all and then, at about age twelve, came the turning point when I went to the Imola Academy and I met the maestro Franco Scala, my only real teacher. I studied with him for a long time. In '94, I made my debut almost for a laugh trying to participate in the Umberto Micheli Contest in Milan, and it went well. From there on began my real career as a pianist, there were lots of concerts and recordings up for grabs, and I hope it carries on".

Let's talk about Cascioli composer of electronic music.

"I have made attempts, I presented small pieces in Ancona in 2000, but I don't consider myself to be an expert in this field at all. However, having studied electronic music at the conservatory of Milan, I think it is of course interesting to develop the sound effects made possible by computer. I am convinced that the computer and electronic music are the best ways to produce those sound effects which are also sought in normal music, with normal acoustic instruments, orchestras or pianos. Writing a theme or a development for a genre of electronic music is extremely complex and almost impossible. Instead, making sound bands, producing effects, strange or previously unheard sounds is part of the very nature of the computer and, therefore, of electronic music. Vice versa, producing effects with instruments often requires strange techniques. Violinists, for example, have to use harmonic bows behind the bridge, pizzicato behind the bridge, untuning, bow with wood, and double or triple notes to produce unusual sounds. They are extremely difficult techniques for brilliant performers and the result does not always match the effort. For this reason I never put effects in my symphonies and chamber music as an end to themselves. I prefer to follow the example of Edgard Vàrese who in a symphony orchestra piece such as Desert put the instruments that make the music first and then a piece of electronic music, followed by the orchestra again and then a tape of electronic music followed again by the orchestra. Perhaps I'm wrong, but the instruments used normally to fit the criteria of electronic music have their limits".

What would you like to work on in the future?

"I have gained enough experience as a pianist. Conducting orchestras and composing are still as yet unexplored territories. Even though I have always written music without ever stopping since I began to study music, composing requires a lot of practice. To present a symphony or a sonata to the public you really need to have tried a lot of things. Composing is always an interesting field to explore, constantly producing something new. Conducting orchestras entertains me and fascinates me a great deal, I would like to be able to get as much experience as possible and continue. Obviously I don't want to give up the piano as it is an instrument I like a lot. I would perhaps like to see my engagements as a conductor increase so that I could perhaps even conduct my own music".

How long will you rehearse here in Ancona?

"I have asked for 4 or 5 rehearsals, but I wouldn't want to take time away from Mozart and Beethoven so I do as God commands. Unfortunately, it is normal for a new piece to take longer, also because until I hear it as I had in mind it will probably irritate me".