There are many international musicians visiting the city this festive season. However, as we catch up with Italian pianist Orazio Sciortino, we realise why this soft-spoken musician stands apart from the others. Celebrating 70 years of bilateral ties between India and Italy, Orazio was in the city to perform Rossini In The Mirror — a recital of lesser-known works by 19th-century Italian composer Gioachino Rossini. We caught up with the 34-year-old at Sienna Cafe near Hindustan Park, for a candid chat about how he likes to pick interesting pieces by pianists, which are arguably some of their best works.
The Rossini obsession
“Rossini’s lesser-known works fit perfectly well with Robert Schumann’s Carnaval, which are both very important pieces in piano music,” Orazia tells us, as he elaborates his current obsession with the Italian pianist. While people know Rossini as an opera composer, Orazia informs us that he had many lesser-known piano pieces, which were masterpieces to the ear. On the other hand, Schumann’s Carnaval is about contrasting masks in a carnival, and the different faces of people in everyday life. He adds that Un Cauchemar (A Nightmare) by the former, is not a serious piece at all, like the name suggests, but is
actually quite funny and different from what most people expect.
Origin is key
Orazio started playing piano at age eight, and gave his first performance when he was just 11-years-old. Coming from a family deeply rooted in art, he chose to pursue the piano, before he formally studied classical music at the Milan Conservatory. However, the Italian says his singular expertise came from the fact that he started composing as soon as he started playing the instrument. While composing music and playing at a concert may seem like two entirely different things, he tells us, it is more or less the same for him. “I can explain my work in both forms, as it is a constant research for me. Whether being a solo pianist or playing with the orchestra, it is no different, because it is part of my piano repertoire.”
Beyond Italy
While Orazio is currently experimenting with the works of Rossini, he has also performed the works of French composer Claude Debussy. He also draws influences from British composer Thomas Adès, and
Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, among others. And, having performed all around the world, his favourite country is Germany. “It is always a great experience to play in Germany, because they give music a lot of consideration, especially a concert,” Orazio explains.
With so many performances, there ought to be one really close to his heart, and we couldn’t help but ask about it. He replied that it has to be his composition called La Paura (The Fear), which was a part of an operatic production about the First World War. Composed in 2015, he played it on the anniversary of the war in Novara, Italy. Another favourite, he tells us is La Gattomachia, a musical about cats, which he performed at the Lascala Theatre in Milan. While he does not really have a count of his compositions, because some of them take minutes and others take days, he is currently busy composing tunes, and though he hasn’t named any of them yet, listeners can expect to catch them in 2019.
Listen to his works on Youtube.