Mimmo de Simone

What does music mean to you personally?

For me, music means sensitivity, creativity, professionalism, commitment.

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

-Absolutely not. It is also creativity but also talent, reflection and humility.

If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?

-I would have liked to be a writer, novelist. However, someone who has something to invent, tell, produce.

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about the future?

-NO. Even the music written today will become classic and will grow old like everything.

What do you envision the role of music to be in the 21st century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

-The role of music is always the same: it will still be needed to make people think, to march, dance, to show off their technical or composition skills. Accompany the life of every man.

Do you think that the musician today needs to be more creative? What is the role of creativity in the musical process for you?

-It is important that every composer expresses himself with sincerity. Creativity is a foregone and indispensable component. What must be fought is the impoverishment of musical language. Many (too many) write music without the necessary skills and professionalism. Many want to write a novel without knowing grammar and syntax ...

Do you think we as musicians can do something to attract the younger generation to music concerts? How would you do this?

-You should change the contents without adapting the language. Even jazz and pop can be "noble" and presented with dignity

Tell us about your creative process. What is your favorite piece (written by you) and how did you start working on it?

-My favorite piece is always the last one I wrote. Especially while I'm writing it. Listening to them all, I feel I relive the moments of my life linked to them. The element of input and start: to create an adjustment element from scratch, stable over time, re-proposable and usable by all.

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?

To young composers: study, reflect, tell. As my maestro said: "Consume the rubber rather than the pencil"

Do you think about the audience when composing?

No, don't think about the public while writing. We are the most severe judge of our music.

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

-A pencil and a new sheet of music are always the beginning of an experiment. On the lectern of my piano there are always three distinct sheets with three compositions going on simultaneously. When ideas arrive, you don't have to miss a single one ...