about
Riccardo Fortunato is a german-italian contemporary music composer, producer and performer, who has a profound passion both for writing contemporary music and producing electronic music. Viewing sound itself as a form of musical expression, Riccardo is putting the biggest focus on the texture of sound and noises, while striving to create pure and original music, taking part in every step along the creational process. Being inspired by the clash of minimalism with chaos and classical tradition with avantgarde art, Riccardo is fascinated by composers like Arvo Pärt, Sir John Tavener, Pavel Chesnokov, Henryk Górecki, Krzysztof Penderecki, Alfred Schnittke and Calliope Tsoupaki, as well as by artists like Andrei Tarkowski and Wassily Kandinsky. Musical concepts such as "time" and "eternity", as well as a respectful attitude towards the sacred in the arts are a constant focus in Riccardo's musical practice.
When writing his pieces, Riccardo relies on the importance of silence and stillness, which leads to him mostly writing for a small group of instruments, that he tries to get the most out of, while always striving to portray complex emotional states within his music. He often describes his style, which is heavily inspired by byzantine chant and sacred musical traditions of eastern Europe, as "standing with one foot in the past and the other in the contemporary". Furthermore, he is always seeking to portray artistic value within his practice and is eager to contribute to contemporary music and art. In 2022 he graduated as MMus (Master of Music) from ArtEZ Conservatory in Enschede (The Netherlands), where he was a student of Dutch composer Andries van Rossem.


