The Waiting

An interminable waiting. Boredom. Frustration.

After the unmoving fixity of FROZEN, a musical metaphor of a suspended world, petrified by the upheavals we were helplessly witnessing, THE WAITING represents the interminable waiting that followed, with all its boredom and frustration.  The severe limitation of social engagements, leisure activities, and travel compelled many of us to come to terms with this experience, normally shunned as much as possible because of the sense of dissatisfaction, annoyance, and sadness it caused us. Forced idleness made the passage of time seem pointless and vain, especially in light of societal expectations to always be active and productive in our professional lives and seeking new experiences and entertainment in our personal lives. However, boredom can be our mind and body’s way of alerting us that something is wrong in our lives and pushing us creatively in new directions of meaning; it allows us to take a break from daily distractions and focus on ourselves; it gives us an opportunity to reflect on what really matters; and it helps us discover new passions and interests. Boredom, especially when we feel stressed and overwhelmed by daily responsibilities, helps us to take a break, to slow down, to rest. And so, instead of always trying to avoid it, we can learn to accept it and use it to our advantage: when we feel bored, let’s try to look inside ourselves and find out what we need at that moment, and maybe we will be surprised to discover something new about ourselves.

I wrote SPRING WILL COME as a journey through the first lockdown of March 2020, when we all felt fear, boredom, and frustration, but also courage, strength, and hope. It was a deep need that pushed me to create this second musical diary, which was vastly different from my previous work RINASCITA. I recorded it using only a piano out of tune, a single microphone, and a single video camera in an unsuitable room filled with the noises of everyday life. My intention was to provide an aural space for listeners to feel safe and connect with their own emotions and thoughts. It serves as a form of meditation and a source of comfort.

After almost three years, the close connection the record had with the terrible events of that period has obviously loosened, but its underlying purpose remains. In today’s world, overwhelmed by social media notifications, headlines, political crises, a changing climate, and a constant sense of impending catastrophe, the temptation to escape from reality has never been stronger. SPRING WILL COME invites us not to do so, to stay awake and in relationship with others, and to practice attentive and patient listening, an essential tool for living a better and more fulfilling life.

The single’s cover for THE WAITING was designed by my Iranian friend Golnar Dashti (Dashi Design Studio): I met her when she was studying painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti (Firenze, Italy) taking her first tentative steps toward the development of personal artistic ideas. She is really open-minded and always looking forward to the experience of new perspectives in contemporary visual art. She is one of the founders of La Filharmonie and she already collaborated with me a few years ago on the music video for PICCOLA DANZA, a single from my first album for piano solo. I loved her idea of creating a short video instead of the usual static artwork: it makes the cover a lot more interesting and engaging! What do you think? One last thing: Golnar is a lovely person!!!

Credits

Music composed and performed by Paolo Cognetti

Recorded and Mixed by Filippo Rossi and Lawrence Fancelli at Officina Sonora del Bigallo

Mastered by Niccolò Caldini

Digital distribution: Distrokid

Artwork: Dashti Design Studio

Poems: Maria Ester Mastrogiovanni (MEM)

A year after composing and recording my second solo piano album SPRING WILL COME, I felt the desire to offer a new perspective on the pieces, one that would recover the spontaneity and naturalness that had originally characterized them. So, I decided to spend a day with Francesco Ponticelli at the Cicaleto Recording Studio, a historic eighteenth-century home immersed in the peace and beauty of nature, just minutes from the center of the city of Arezzo, in the heart of Tuscany. Inspired by the place and its atmosphere, I recorded all the tracks in a row and without any editing, trying to capture the essence and emotion of a live performance. To further foster the sense of an immersive and engaging experience, I asked Arianna Fiandrini and Mauro Magrini of Visualcam Production to create a video of the entire experience, and today I share with you the second excerpt, presenting THE WAITING.

Credits

Directed by Arianna Fiandrini

Gimbal: Mauro Magrini

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Cicaleto Recording Studio by Francesco Ponticelli