Angels

A dedication to those who are no longer with us; to doctors, nurses and all the people who take care of others.

I wrote the main theme of ANGELS on Mother’s Day in 2019: it was an immediate inspiration, a simple melody to which the ternary meter gave a lulling quality, a “tender little improvisation for my strong mother,” as I wrote in posting it. Instinctively I went back to this note when I felt the need to dedicate a piece to doctors, nurses and more generally to all those who in those difficult months of 2020 were putting their lives at the service of the community: and it was no accident to use that theme, because a mother, at least on an ideal level, embodies the deepest sense of caring for others. ANGELS seemed to me the most appropriate title, or at least it perfectly represented my feelings about that. Then a significant synchronicity occurred: just before releasing the video with the first performance as usual, I realized that I had unfortunately forgotten to focus the shot. At first, I was a little discouraged, because at that point I would have had to postpone the new recording until the next day. But then, that blurred image in front of me made me think that there were other angels to whom I wanted to dedicate this sixth chapter of my diary of a quarantine – that’s what I called it at the time: the many people who didn’t make it and who often had to spend their last hours in hospitals without the comfort of their loved ones. ANGELS, which began as a tribute to my mother, had transformed, first honoring those who had generously given themselves to others, then paying my last respects to those who were no longer with us.

I wrote SPRING WILL COME as a journey through the first lockdown of March 2020, when we all felt fear, boredom, and frustration, but also courage, strength, and hope. It was a deep need that pushed me to create this second musical diary, which was vastly different from my previous work RINASCITA. I recorded it using only a piano out of tune, a single microphone, and a single video camera in an unsuitable room filled with the noises of everyday life. My intention was to provide an aural space for listeners to feel safe and connect with their own emotions and thoughts. It serves as a form of meditation and a source of comfort.

After almost three years, the close connection the record had with the terrible events of that period has obviously loosened, but its underlying purpose remains. In today’s world, overwhelmed by social media notifications, headlines, political crises, a changing climate, and a constant sense of impending catastrophe, the temptation to escape from reality has never been stronger. SPRING WILL COME invites us not to do so, to stay awake and in relationship with others, and to practice attentive and patient listening, an essential tool for living a better and more fulfilling life.

The single’s cover for ANGELS was designed by my Iranian friend Golnar Dashti (Dashi Design Studio): I met her when she was studying painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti (Firenze, Italy) taking her first tentative steps toward the development of personal artistic ideas. She is really open-minded and always looking forward to the experience of new perspectives in contemporary visual art. She is one of the founders of La Filharmonie and she already collaborated with me a few years ago on the music video for PICCOLA DANZA, a single from my first album for piano solo. I loved her idea of creating a short video instead of the usual static artwork: it makes the cover a lot more interesting and engaging! What do you think? One last thing: Golnar is a lovely person!!!

Credits

Music composed and performed by Paolo Cognetti

Recorded and Mixed by Filippo Rossi and Lawrence Fancelli at Officina Sonora del Bigallo

Mastered by Niccolò Caldini

Digital distribution: Distrokid

Artwork: Dashti Design Studio

Poems: Maria Ester Mastrogiovanni (MEM)

A year after composing and recording my second solo piano album SPRING WILL COME, I felt the desire to offer a new perspective on the pieces, one that would recover the spontaneity and naturalness that had originally characterized them. So, I decided to spend a day with Francesco Ponticelli at the Cicaleto Recording Studio, a historic eighteenth-century home immersed in the peace and beauty of nature, just minutes from the center of the city of Arezzo, in the heart of Tuscany. Inspired by the place and its atmosphere, I recorded all the tracks in a row and without any editing, trying to capture the essence and emotion of a live performance. To further foster the sense of an immersive and engaging experience, I asked Arianna Fiandrini and Mauro Magrini of Visualcam Production to create a video of the entire experience, and today I share with you the sixth excerpt, presenting ANGELS.

Credits

Directed by Arianna Fiandrini

Gimbal: Mauro Magrini

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Cicaleto Recording Studio by Francesco Ponticelli