Composer and pianist Daniela Mastrandrea has released a song for Spring entitled, “L’anima Danza” (Soul Dances). Daniela has won numerous awards and released several albums and shared some thoughts on her latest single with us.
CCM: Why did you compose this piece – what does it mean to you?
Daniela Mastrandrea: When I started writing L’anima danza, I didn’t know it would soon be a new piece. It came by chance, even if I don’t believe in faith, while I was in front of my instrument. It usually happens that my music plays in my head even when I’m on the street, in a completely different context; however, that day, L’anima danza came to visit me while I was at the piano. As I always do, I let myself be guided by the subconscious. My approach to writing is not like Ok, let’s write a piece; on the contrary, while I live, music comes to visit me.
CCM: Do you tend to hear fragments of music that develop over time or do you hear the whole composition at once?
Daniela Mastrandrea: My approach to writing has never been standard. It has certainly changed over time, but it has always been about the natural evolution, which is part of human nature. My production is so different that, over time, I have been able to go through both ways of writing. Sometimes it happens to hear and hum themes in my mind, themes which then went to reconnect and rejoin over time; other times, I give birth to pieces totally born in my mind. I believe it depends on the moments and the different stages of life. As for L’anima danza, everything was born together, each note as a natural consequence of the previous one, just like and already traced road.
CCM: Were there elements that you envisioned right from the start that were important for you to keep or did you find yourself evolving with the interpretation over time?
Daniela Mastrandrea: Suddenly, I found myself playing the initial theme of the left hand which, despite being an accompaniment, hid a melodic line in itself, marked by the first note of each group of three. I knew this was going to be the trend and I didn’t know anything else. When I placed my right hand on the piano, after the first four bars, everything was a continuous, simple and constant becoming. The title of the piece shows my strong belief that a soul can dance only if we leave it free to do so, exactly as my soul did during the composition of this piece.
CCM: Were there any challenging moments in this piece?
Daniela Mastrandrea: This question has a double interpretation: it could refer to the execution technique of the piece but also to the compositional path followed. As for the first, it is an aspect that has never interested me too much: I have always conceived technique in the service of music, as if music has its own precise identity, technique will easily find a way to follow it; as far as the compositional path is concerned, if you are “in the flow”, all becoming acquires a spiritual value and everything is just a natural consequence.
CCM: Tell us a little bit about the production of the track?
Daniela Mastrandrea: This question has a double interpretation: it could refer to the execution technique of the piece but also to the compositional path followed. As for the first, it is an aspect that has never interested me too much: I have always conceived technique in the service of music, as if music has its own precise identity, technique will easily find a way to follow it; as far as the compositional path is concerned, if you are “in the flow”, all becoming acquires a spiritual value and everything is just a natural consequence.
CCM: Did you have any additional collaborators?
Daniela Mastrandrea: I conceive music as a therapeutic path, as a spiritual and therefore very personal path. From this point of view, collaboration loses all meaning. For me, music is about looking inside myself and tapping into my inner resources. Of course, any collaboration is possible but, by carrying out a process of catharsis on myself, I conceive my musical journey as something strictly personal.
Stream “L’anima Danza” on Spotify now!
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