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Antonio Cericola

Composer and Conductor

Italy

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About

Antonio obtained diplomas for piano, piano teaching, musical analysis, choir direction, conducting at the Conservatory of St. Cecilia, the International Academy of Arts in Rome and the Higher School of the A.M.P. He studied psychology applied to music with F. Trippetti; analysis with M. Of the Church; counterpoint and composition with M. Corona (Karajan's pupil) and G. Manzoni; composition for film music with S. Miceli, E. Morricone and L. Bacalov earning a bachelor's degree; conducting with F. Angius and R. Gabbiani; conducting with D. Renzetti.

He has collaborated with prestigious institutions and some of the most valuable artists on the international scene: P. Bellugi, F. Mannino, D. Renzetti, G. Gelmetti, Larry Willis, R. North, E. Beruschi, M. Fabrizio, C. Baglioni, P. Morgia, L. Tommasini, B. Tosi, C. Gasdia, the Chigiana Academy of Siena, Classica Today, the Italian Society of Music and Theatre, the Italian Winds , The Athens International Festival...

Invited as a composer to the 1996 Majella Prize under the high patronage of the Presidency of the Republic, he recorded some of his works in a CD sponsored by the Ministry of Cultural and Environmental Heritage. He is the author of chamber music, choral, symphonic and operatic. His compositions of sacred music were performed in the Vatican on the occasion of the Celebration of St. John Paul II for the Beatification of Mother Eugenia Ravasco broadcast in worldvision. The last works include the Dedalo Ballet with choreography by R. North and the participation of Maria Teresa Ruta; the lyrical opera The Adventures of Pinocchio; the operas The Cat in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White; the Christmas Oratory, the Passio et Resurrectio, the Cantica Faceta, the ballet Carpe Diem.

The biography, the catalogue of production, the analysis of the compositions and the engraving of one of his works, were included in the Encyclopedia of Italian Composers of the 20th century. His compositions are recorded in the database of Italian composers and edited by Suvini Zerboni, Pagano, Vecchio Mill. Essays, reviews and information about his artistic activity appear in national and foreign magazines (L'Opera, Amadeus, Il Giornale della Musica, The Theatre Corriere, Music and School, Musical Perspectives, La Cartellina, Choraliter, Europa Cantat...)

He was appointed by Feniarco as representative of Italy to the European Parliament of Music (Brixen 1998) and chairman of the Committee on Art and Culture. For several years, the artistic activity has been accompanied by teaching: a professor of Choir Direction at the master classes of the Pescarese Music Academy; of Choir and Orchestra direction as part of the international courses of the Frentana Musical Summer of Lanciano; of the master's course in composition at the Music Institute of Taranto P.Longo; of the conducting courses in Catania, the choir and orchestra course in Pescara.

Former director of the Iuvenes Cantores Polyphonic Choir and the Choir of the Marrucino Theatre of Chieti, he is conductor of the European Symphony Orchestra Ars Musica. His opera The Adventures of Pinocchio was performed at the Athens International Festival during the 2004 Olympics in Greece with the Berlin Philharmonic, Luciano Pavarotti, the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Symphony...

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Interview

What does music mean to you personally?

La musica è la più grande forma espressiva che esista. E' l'arte più astratta e quindi la più vicina all'Assoluto in quanto trascende tutto il resto. E' il meraviglioso modo per esprimermi. E' la regina delle delle arti: le coniuga in sé contemplandole in un abbraccio meraviglioso al di là del tempo e dello spazio. Di per sé la musica non significa niente, ed è per questo che riesce ad esprimere qualsiasi cosa

Music is the greatest form of expression that exists. It is the most abstract art and therefore the closest to the Absolute as it transcends everything else. It's the wonderful way to express myself. She is the queen of the arts: she conjugates them in herself by contemplating them in a wonderful embrace beyond time and space. Music itself means nothing, and that's why it can express anything

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

No. La musica è la voce dell’anima e non esiste nulla di più reale dell’anima di un uomo, è la vera rappresentazione dell'umanità e delle emozioni Niente altro che il musicista. So fare diversi lavori ed anche mestieri. Tuttavia credo che per la sua immensa grandezza e difficoltà, la musica sia l'attività nella quale riesco “peggio”.

Music is the voice of the soul and there is nothing more real than the soul of a man, it is the true representation of humanity and emotions.

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

Niente altro che il musicista. So fare diversi lavori ed anche mestieri. Tuttavia credo che per la sua immensa grandezza e difficoltà, la musica sia l'attività nella quale riesco “peggio”

Nothing but the musician. I know how to do different jobs and also crafts. However, I believe that because of its immense greatness and difficulty, music is the activity in which I can work.

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

Assolutamente no. La musica colta non conosce tempo e mode. È eterna. Al contrario la “musica” non colta, che a torto si pregia di questo nome, come tutto ciò che non ha un valore assoluto, non potrà diventare, con il tempo, che vecchia.

Absolutely not. Cultured music knows no time and fashion. It's eternal. On the contrary, the uncollated "music", which wrongly pre-etages this name, like all that has no absolute value, cannot become, with time, that old.

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?

La Musica, con la lettera maiuscola non ha un ruolo. Essa è la certezza dell’esistenza di Dio e meglio delle altre arti esprime l'Assoluto. Per chi ci crede Io sono molto credente.

Music, with the capital letter, has no role. It is the certainty of the existence of God and better than the other arts expresses the Absolute. For those who believe in it, I am a very believer.

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

La musica è arte. La più nobile. L’unica che esista a prescindere. In quanto arte, lo dice la parola stessa, è un artificio che nasce comunque dal sentimento, dall’anima.

Music is art. The noblest. The only one that exists regardless. As an art, the word itself says, it is an artifice that arises anyway from feeling, from the soul.

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

Credo, purtroppo, che le ultime generazioni si stiano allontanando sempre più ed a passo sempre più veloce dall’arte, dalla cultura, dalla conoscenza, distratte come sono da una moltitudine di attività sterili e mediocri. La tentazione di lasciarle abbandonare a se stesse è fortissima, ma da ex educatore, oltre che da musicista, continuo a commettere l’errore di cercare di migliorare gli altri.

I believe, unfortunately, that the last generations are moving further and faster and faster from art, culture, knowledge, distracted as they are by a multitude of sterile and mediocre activities. The temptation to leave them to themselves is very strong, but as a former educator, as well as as a musician, I continue to make the mistake of trying to improve others.

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

Tutti i pezzi da me scritti sono “mie creature”. Nessuna sopra le altre. Nascono tutte da emozioni vissute, desiderate, sognate...la mia ultima opera “Amore e Psiche” non a caso ha il sottotitolo “la musica dell’anima”

All the pieces I wrote are "my creatures." None above the others. They are all born from emotions lived, desired, dreamed... my latest opera "Love and Psyche" has the subtitle "the music of the soul"

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

Ascoltare i grandi...se non lo fossero, a distanza di secoli non parleremmo ancora di loro.

Listening to the great... if they weren't, centuries later we wouldn't talk about them yet.

Do you think about the audience when composing?

No. Ascolto la mia anima. La mia idea, però, è di esprimermi non essendo banale ed anche tenendo conto di chi dovrà suonare cantare o ascoltare quello che scrivo.

No. I listen to my soul. My idea, however, is to express myself not being trivial and also taking into account who will have to play sing or listen to what I write.

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

Non si può mai programmare. Magari ti svegli una mattina e hai un tema in testa o lo sogni di notte...poi ci si lavora su. Essere musicista, compositore non è un mestiere, è un'arte, un immenso privilegio. Per pochi eletti.

You can never program. Maybe you wake up one morning and have a theme in your head or dream it at night... then you work on it. Being a musician, a composer is not a profession, it is an art, an immense privilege. For a select few.