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Riccardo Giuseppe Fortunato

contemporary composer

Riccardo Fortunato

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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 various other sacred musical traditions of Europe, as "standing with one foot in the past and with the other in the contemporary".  By others his music has been called "an echo of ancient sounds", was described as having an "underlying spiritual silence" and as being contemplative all while remaining "contemporary, yet accessible".

Furthermore, Riccardo 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.

"I think you have a real signature in writing beautiful music without show-off or a search for artificial effects [...]. There is an underlying sounding spiritual silence in your work, not an overwhelming accumulation of 'musical material' but a contemplative reworking and reflection of it."

Laurens van der Heijden (Dutch musicologist)

"[...] it is a real pleasure to hear the live performance and, I must say, they are excellent musicians. The piece is a beauty, the intensity is heartfelt."

Andries van Rossem (Dutch composer) on Oberton String Octet performing "Cantus für Streichoktett"

"Wow, dat is muziek van vlees en bloed dwars door alle schotten heen. Prachtig stuk."

"I think it was just beautiful, tasteful, fun, playful, well-rounded in form, contemporary yet accessible."

Laurens van der Heijden (Dutch musicologist) on "Vetera Et Nova"

"Sono rimasto piacevolmente colpito. Direi che posso definirla evocativa, un'eco di suoni antichi. [...] quegli accordi di nona e di settima, sono delle sferzate di suono. Complimenti!"

Diego Raphael Fortunato (Italian Tenor, Lecturer at San Pietro a Majella Conservatory of Naples)

 

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