All artists that have a knack for travelling through different genres and mixing different forms and expressions of art to enhance their craft are worthy of disseminating. In today’s review, we will explore the artistry of a unique and talented individual who does exactly that to furnish their body of work.
Roberto Mataluni, the artist in question, is an Italian pianist and arranger with a strong passion for composition. He was born in Naples and took up training at the “San Pietro a Majella” Conservatory of Naples. His musical training included the vast genres of pop, R&B, new age, and experimental music, as well as classical studies infused with aspects of modern music, electronic instruments, and virtual composition techniques. In terms of official releases, he has 6 music albums and 6 singles under his belt, some of which include ‘Atmospheres’: emotional pictures each with a different character, ‘Origins’: a concept album that traces the compositional process and inner growth of the composer, and ‘inSideB’: an experimental album with deep insertions of electronic music. He describes his techniques as maintaining his imprint while ranging between genres. In some instances, he prefers to be experimental, but in other instances, he sticks to the conventions of neo-classical music.
He has also expressed his art through various mediums, besides genres alone. He has also animated music videos for some pieces of his work, titled Night Waltz and Inside. Roberto furnishes these endeavours with a statement that affirms a belief in the need for art to express itself in various directions. Moreover, his status as an independent musician allows him the free reign to do whatever needs to be done to optimise his artistic vision- free from corporate limits.
I can truly relate to this artist. I too, often switch genres and blend a whole bunch of musical conventions with my compositions, and I too, like to make visual art to supplement my tunes. I think this is the best way to go about the field of music and art as a whole, as it is really there for us to push the boundaries of all that is possible. Perhaps, if we exhaust the means through which we express ourselves, we will finally come closer to understanding not only ourselves but also why we do what we do as artists and consumers of said art.
His newest release, an EP titled ‘The Story’, is an imaginary journey into a story, as if it were done through reading a book. The songs are in fact divided into chapters. The beauty of this release is the subjectivity involving the interpretation of the story and how that changes and adapts to the sounds vs your neurological interpretation of it while listening to the album. In fact, I shall expand upon this intent and share with you my interpretation of this EP. Perhaps, you can too.
The first chapter, The Story, opens itself up with the syncopation of the notes of the piano reminding me of the fast paced rush of running through pages of a book hastily. It is very percussive, reminiscent of Benjamin Clementine’s techniques with his piano playing. A delightful yet sorrowful string medley carefully enters the track, intentionally making sure that it doesn’t overpower the underlying piano. The run of the strings gets beautifully accented with some instances of pizzicato throughout the piece. Furnishing the overall soundscape is the addition of woodwinds besides strings, giving the song less of a primarily melancholic feel but a warm, quirky and sophisticated feel as well. (That is generally how my brain perceives certain woodwinds, if I had a colour to describe it, it would be warm peach.). Strings of notes float throughout the song with what I perceive to be a flute, before the track reaches a certain peak that coalesces various motifs of the composition itself to build upon itself almost like an auditory version of waves crashing in and building a large trough in a hydroelectric dam. This track is truly tantalizing and lives up to its title, as it is almost like a shortening of a story- especially with the structure of its composition. It takes you on a journey, through motifs of melancholy, determination, resolve as well as contemplation.
The second chapter, Two Worlds, has almost a call-and-response syncopation going on with the initial piano sequence. It is much more slowed down than the previous track, and remains a melody instead of venturing into percussive domain. The song acts as a tease, bringing in an initially mellow string sequence, before peaking into a rich and wonderfully full melange of strings accented with more woodwinds once again. This composition has a variety of feelings associated with its composition, it is almost so overwhelming it is quite hard for me to justify it with a simple description. It is boastful, it is tenacious, but pure and idealistic at its core.
The third chapter, Uphill Roads, metaphorically climbs upon you with the way the composition sits within the track. I think it definitely lives up to the name of the track being ‘uphill’, as the melodic sequence does sonically reflect that. However, I am faced with a slightly different interpretation. I do think it is uphill, but its almost as if the soundscape was littered with various vines and flowers that were laced with a nontraditional growth pattern. A lot of cyclic motifs oscillate throughout this track. Towards the middle of this track, the chords used by the piano as well as the string accompaniment not only set the tone of deep, heartfelt emotion but also fullness and richness. The orchestration is not empty, by any means, blasting you with as much potency as possible. It ends off with the cyclic motion of the piano in isolation, leaving in a mellowingly alarming note. I find that quite interesting.
The fourth chapter, Sudden Dawn, starts off with chords that evoke the feeling of resolution- a feeling that has not truly been expressed in this EP til now. It gives off a very distinct feeling. It builds anticipation, for sure, but I also feel a sense of comfort in these chords. The strings enter this track quite strongly, with the notes it chooses as well as how shrill it sounds. The accompanying strings after the first motive help to ground the shrillness of the initial strings, helping to balance out how striking it is- possibly even to take you back to the strange feeling of resolution that the initial chords struck. The woodwinds help to build more warmth to the track, as I constantly associate the tone of woodwinds with warmer tones, building an already sun-streaked music-to-visual soundscape. The track unfolds beautifully as it also builds itself up, a wonderful juxtaposition that already elevates the feeling of lushness. Personally, I think this is my favourite track in this EP thus far. There is something elegantly striking about this composition.
The fifth chapter, An Instant, switches things up by starting with the woodwinds first instead of the piano. This sets a neutral yet glum tone at the same time. As the track unfolds, the position of the melodies in the back reminds me a little bit of Marche Slav by Tchaikovsky. Perhaps the deep, ‘bass-esque’ sound furnished by more pizzicatos help to paint a similar feel to that composition. The piano sequence is choppy in delivery, adding an extra aesthetic quirk to this composition. As the piano continues with its melodic development, the airy flute gives the track a breathiness that would’ve otherwise been lost due to how potent the rest of the instruments in the track is. I absolutely love the arrangement of the strings in this particular track, with strong sustained notes. I wish that aspect of the composition was drawn out longer, as it was a treat to my brain.
The last chapter, The House of Notes, starts off with a blissful feel- a stark contrast to all of the other emotional motifs in this EP. It is imaginative, it is hopeful, it is inspirational all at once. The strings and the tenderness of the piano in this track makes it extremely graceful and soothing, but it is not all simply mellow- there is character and intensity to the way the track pans out. In a way, the title is quite apt for this track. It is a flurry of wonderful notes interacting with each other, but they are actually structured. Just like a ‘house’. I don’t know why, but the build-up of the strings in this particular track also tugs on my heartstrings. It is filled with so much depth and intensity.
All in all, this EP truly was a treat to listen to and each and every track, or chapter, was indeed filled with a sonic storybook filled with treasures and wonderful, interesting motifs for me to unpack. The compositional techniques within this EP is stellar, as so many different emotions get stacked into one full stack of work for the listener to delve within. It almost makes me wonder what these techniques would sound like perhaps in a different scale, as it genuinely is quite proficient. The body of work inspires me to improve my own craft. Not to mention, I also hope that Roberto animates some of the music videos for these tracks. It would simply be wonderful to see if his interpretation of his own artwork matches the imagery that he manages to evoke in others’ brains with his compositions. A delightful EP, to say the least.
SCORE/Outstanding – ‘The Story’ is an extremely inviting EP that mixes the traditionalism of classical music with innovative as well as dramatic and potent flairs to reveal an intricate emotional soundscape that lies hidden in the weaving of all of its tracks. It is delightful, poignant, and challenging all at once, and surely puts you on the journey through The Story.
[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]
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