A Conversation with Valerio Matola

Valerio Matola Pianist and Composer originating from Italy, was born in a musical family and by the age of 7 wrote his first compositions. He later came to Athens and studied Classical Piano and Composition at the Greek National Conservatory.
Wrote several works for Films / Video art / Theatre and contemporary dance plays.

Valerio you composed your first song at the age of five. Are you from a musical family? 

Yes, my father was a guitar player and singer and his grandmother  was a well known opera singer.At the time I was born my father was working  as a musician for the king of Jordan. We stayed in Amman for some years and then we moved to South Italy which is my father’s native country. When I was 8 years old we came to Greece where I am living right now.
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So you took piano lessons in Greece? You have studied at the National Greek Conservatorium. That was you first encounter with classical composers?

Well actually yes. My parents did not listen too much classical music  so the first time I listened Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Prokovief, Liszt  to name some of the composers that have inspired me a lot was at the conservatorium. My teacher was Russian, a student of Tatiana Nikolayeva  and he introduced me to Russian composers mainly. I studied with him for a couple of years and then with another  teacher but soon found out that I wanted to write my own music.
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That’s why you are an accomplished piano player. Your interpratations receive very good comments  as well as your compositions. So tell me how is your life now?

I live in a suburb near the sea. I have a passion for nature and especially for free diving. So I have the chance to dive two to three times per week . Ideally I would like to move to an island and be able  to work with my music and dive every day.
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Do you find nspiration in nature? What inspires you to write music?

Yes, nature fascinates me. The colours  of the sky, the changing shapes of the clouds, the mist in the air, the depth and the mystery of the sea. But a big part of my work comes also from incidents that have happened to me. From the way I look at things.

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You have collaborated with film directors, choreographers and video artists. Have you worked with other musicians? What are you working on right now? 

I am orchestrating  one of my works  for a musical ensemble that I admire a lot and I am very honoured to work with and also preparing  an avant- garde opera. I am big fan of female opera singers so I will have the chance to work with some of them.
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Apart from the musical instruments of the orchestra what other sounds do you use in your music?What do you think about electronic sounds?

Well I have experimented with electronic  sounds and I like the fact that they give you the freedom of imagination but my heart will always belong to the instruments of the orchestra and the various interpretations  that a music piece can have when performed live by different musicians which brings a new life to the piece and their point of view.Nothing beats that!
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How do you see your work evolve in the future?

I would be interested to work for films and some orchestral works.  I would like to compose bigger works but mainly when i think about the future I wish to stay curious, content and keep appreciating the people around me that I love and care about.
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What would you like to say to your fans?

I would like to thank  them very much for the warm acceptance of my work. I feel happy that there are people out there who like my music and give me the opportunity to communicate with them.That’s the point of art to be inspired to express this inspiration and then inspire others in return.