Everything Flows

You cannot descend twice in the same river and you cannot touch a mortal substance in the same state twice

(Heraclitus)

What in SPRING WILL COME had only been suggested through the evocation of the passing of the seasons with their interconnection and cyclicity, is revealed with explicit clarity in EVERYTHING FLOWS, a literal translation of the ancient adage attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus: panta rhei (πάντα ῥεῖ). In his fragment “You cannot descend twice in the same river and you cannot touch a mortal substance in the same state twice […].” (91 Diels-Kranz) it is emphasized that the world is a perpetual stream in which everything flows, analogous to the current of a river whose waters are never the same. Everything is in flux because it is subject to time and transformation: that is why no human being can have the same experience twice, subject as he or she is to the inexorable law of change. When I wrote the piece, during the pandemic, this philosophy was a great comfort because it allowed me to identify, albeit ideally, a certain end to the emergency. Today I see a different side of it: if we understand to the core that nothing is ever stationary and unchanging inside or outside of us, that every moment is unique and unrepeatable and therefore precious, we are more easily led to live with greater intensity, to exist fully in the present, avoiding that constant and obsessive forward projection into a future that soon becomes unattainable, made up of goals that as soon as they are achieved are undermined by the next ones. Moreover, the metaphor of the flowing river suggests to us how laughable it is to try to stop it with our own hands, that is, how unfounded are the claims of reality control and consequently how important it is, on the contrary, to try to welcome what happens with serenity instead of fighting it: this does not mean taking a passive attitude in our lives but to free ourselves from those negative emotions that, if anything, prevent us from doing what is really good for 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 EVERYTHING FLOWS 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 fifth excerpt, presenting EVERYTHING FLOWS.

Credits

Directed by Arianna Fiandrini

Gimbal: Mauro Magrini

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