Edition: II
Bio/Studies
The Italian composer and pianist Andrea Padova was born in 1962. He studied Piano with Vincenzo Vitale, Aldo Ciccolini, and Eric Larsen, and Composition with Gino Marinuzzi, Aldo Clementi and Aldo Donatoni, obtaining his Master Degree in Composition at the Accademia Nazionale di S.Cecilia in Rome. In 1988 he was awarded a fellowship by the French Cultural Ministry, which gave him the opportunity to take part in the Masterclasses of Pierre Boulez in Villeneuve-les-Avignon, while attending also Computer Music courses by Andrew Gerszo. At the same time, he has been selected as a soloist for the concert dedicated to Pierre Boulez broadcasted by Radio France. He is a prize-winner of several international composition contests: Wiener Wettbewerb für Neue Musik, “Alfredo Casella – Accademia Chigiana di Siena”, “Wiener Masters”, “New music for ancient instruments”, “Camillo Togni”, “Gino Contilli”, “Città di Pavia”, “Ennio Porrino”, “Gianfrancesco Malipiero.
Career
As a pianist, deeply involved in xxth century music, he collaborated with famous musicians, among which Pierre Boulez, Leonard Bernstein, Goffredo Petrassi and Franco Donatoni and commissioned several piano works to many Italian and American composers. Andrea Padova’s works (published and recorded by BMG-Ricordi, Edipan, Stradivarius) have been performed at the Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Altoona Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Festival für Neue Musik, Harp Music Festival in Nürberg, Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, New Italian Music Festival Rome, Elettroacoustic Music Festival Cagliari, Ancient Music Festival Urbino, New Music Festival Cagliari, Bari Symphony Orchestra, Lecce Symphony Orchestra. His first compositions are largely based on techniques related to polyphony, combinatory and enigmatography. The works composed after 2000 reflects especially his interest in computer technology. At the same time he is working on exploring possible relationships of contemporary classical music with other genres and cultures. The Examiner recently wrote: “Padova’s inventive voice is decidedly his own. Pleasently intriguing”.In 2008 he was awarded the prestigious “Insound Prize” with this comment: “Andrea Padova is the best example of a musician capable of looking beyond conventions and traditions; he’s open minded but with a great skill in discriminating, quality that makes him one of the most interesting figure of the contemporary piano scene”.
Notes on the Musma Composition
“Waterscapes in motion”
The title refers to a double concept of motion: the sea surface as seen from a car running on the way SP 358 (Puglia-Italy). From a technical point of view, the work explores some piano techniques (Arpeggio, broken chords, tremulo) that Liszt deeply used in “Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este”, using them not only in different moments but also at the same time. The virtuosity of the piano writing is therefore not based on a XIX century style but at the opposite re-invents a more complex piano sound that is inspired by the multiple refraction of the sea surface.
