RAMIRO SCHIAVONI

Interview

What does music mean to you personally?

Music is a way to express the most intimate of me. I am also a poet, but I began to express myself before by music rather than by poetry. I can say, music is another language to me, as Spanish, I feel it that way.

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

Well, certainly not. I use music to tell things about me and my surrounding world, and those are not fantasy at all. It is hard for me to make fantasy from my reality, since I use personal experiences to compose and to write as well. But of course, those who has more imagination than me, can, create fantasy and make music all about it, but at the end, in some point, I think all begins with a personal experience.

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

Well, I have studied at least 4 careers and 4 profession all over the years. In fact I worked lots of years as a Professional Social Communicator. But I think I would have been a filmmaker, that way I could create my own worlds to show as I am doing now.

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

Yes, indeed. I see less and less young people on my own concerts. But those that I see, they come after to talk to me, so exciting about the experience, that brings me some kind of hope, I think. Old people know more about music and about being a musician, and when the congratulate you, they know what are the talking about. Young people is more impress about virtuosity than music itself and that makes me feel sad. The goal is neither of both, music should be all about feelings and how it makes you feel when you listen to it.

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

Well, we cannot go blind when social medias are in the spot right now. But one feels some kind of pressure of ‘instant world success’ and ‘instant world recognition’, that it seems to me musician has to become some kind of entertainer. I live in a small country -Uruguay, South America- and here there is no manager agencies at all, you have to sell yourself every time, literally, and that is really disappointing and frustrating, one should be studying instead, music is hard. And if, on top of that, you have to be aware of social media, I guess I spend 2 hours a day on that, it gets really difficult to study properly every day. I think governments have to be present in this matter with proper cultural politics in order to help us reach this new audience.

When I say that classical music is searching for new ways or that the classical music is getting a new face, what would come to your mind?

I think in social medias, Internet above all, and one -as a musician- becoming more and more commercial, I mean, you see thousands and thousands of videos playing the same Beethoven’s Sonata, or the same Chopin’s Nocturne, and that is great, but lots of composer are being left behind by that commercial type of music consuming. Lots of beautiful music maybe never had the chance to be hear, really a shame.

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

Yes, I do. Of course I try to ‘innovate’ in some way when I play, because the same music has been played over and over again for decades now, and for great performers. If one wants to be listened, one has to show something new, something never shown, and that is really a difficult thing to achieve nowadays, due to the enormous background we have.

Do you think we musicians can do something to attract young generation into the classical music concerts? How will you proceed?

I think we musicians, must study. I think we cannot do more than create a profile on Facebook, YouTube or Tweeter and post there our job. If we started to act more as managers than musicians, then we simply don’t get enough time to study properly and bring a good performance to the audience.

Tell us about your creative process. Do you have your favourite piece (written by you) How did you start working on it?

I don’t have a creative process defined. I compose as an extension of me, as a language. In case of vocal pieces, lyrics and music come to me at the same time. In case of instrumental music, it is like a cascade of ideas and notes that I write down in a few days. Of course, my works are not that complicated -musically speaking-, but I try not to think too much, just let the thoughts flow. I don’t have any favorite piece, I was realizing over time that the perception of my own music changes as I grew up as a performer, and in case of vocal music, some singers had show me aspect of my music that I haven’t seen before. Music is dynamic, because is a message, and as such, it depends on who say that message and on who listen to it, and the possibilities are infinite.

We, Moving Classics TV, love the combination of classical music with different disciplines: music and painting, music and cinematography, music and digital art, music and poetry. What do you think about these combinations?

That is a huge field to explore. I am also a photographer and filmmaker, and back in time I made 2 photography cycles with my shoots and my performance, and I made 3 music videos, where everything -lyric, music and performance- was mine again. It was a wonderful experience, one feels complete and richer inside. I also have participated in vernissages and painting exhibitions playing my music or just playing, and again, wonderful experience. Music does bring such power to other arts, movies wouldn’t be such a rewarding experience -in all ways- without music, for example. But above all, music itself it is so powerful, as the most abstract art of all -because it uses the most abstract sense of all: ears- that expands your imagination and invite you to enter an unexplored world where everything is possible, that for me, as a musician of course, it is more than enough by its own.

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

That is a difficult question. Because music, as an art, it’s ultimate goal is to move you, to touch your heart and soul. However, it is really difficult to listen for example Bach, without any background music knowledge. So first advice: educate yourself to be prepare what you are going to listen to. Second one: listen random music 1 hour per day to discover which would you like the most and which composers do you feel closer. Third one: do not judge prematurely one composer by one piece; it is only that: one piece of him, it does not embrace the full personality of the composer. Try to listen more of him, composers are people like you, complex and diverse, give him the chance to surprise you.

Now it is a common practice in the media to talk that the classical music is getting into the consumption business, do you agree? We are speaking about the supply and demand rules and how to sell your “product” in your case your compositions. How do you see it?

I agree. In social medias, the musicians that has more fans are those who show more virtuosity and not necessarily more musicality. Of course music is a product, it always have been that, but not such a beggarly one. Music, and art in general, should be more about crying, getting excited, getting angry and getting sad due to the outstanding performance of the artist, and not getting astonished by the virtuosity -standing for velocity- of him.

Do you have expectations what regards your listeners, your audience?

Not really. They surprise me every day. Listeners are so heterogeneous that is impossible to expect anything concrete about them. It would be wonderful if apart from the time the took to comment and share one’s music, they spend some money on buying it as well. But you know, one is giving music practically for free every day -and we premiere composers the most- and people have really economic troubles theses days, that is totally comprehensive not to see music as a product in need, it is just 2 clicks away, every day, for ever and ever, and if you don’t post it for free, someone else replace your empty space immediately. Apart from the media, managers and theaters have to do their job to get audience for your concerts, but of course they look at the amount of fans you have before they hire you.

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

I am always running several projects at the same time. Concretely these days I am preparing myself to debut with orchestra as a soloist. I am recording a new CD for my collection of Ballet Piano Music and I am also recording 2 CD with opera singers as well. I always think of the future, and I am open the every possibility, every day. I am always studying and getting better (I think) every day and that is my main goal, to get better and better, to be better musician, better person, and perhaps in that whirlwind of emotions, forget for one second that a hundred years from now, none of my works will be listened or played anymore and none is going to remember me; I know my place.

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