Michele Campanella
Piano
I am Neapolitan in spirit, by family and of schooling. I tend towards pessimism, but am saved by self-irony. Already at 5 years old I was searching for music, I improvised and taught myself, then I had the extraordinary luck to encounter a great teacher; once I finished high school, I began to get serious. I participated in only one international piano competition and I won it. For fifty years I’ve searched for “the sound” and still am. I have many favourite composers and yet I am defined as a Franz Liszt specialist. Of course I don’t love this label, but I have the highest regard for the man. Here is one of his quotes that I would like to borrow: «All that one can do, is walk straight in all simplicity with little explanation to others of the how and why…». In my life I’ve met wonderful people and not necessarily musicians. I live in Italy despite many contraindications that would advise me against it. I have taught music at the piano since the age of 37 because I believe it is something possible to do seriously. Do not call me a pianist, I prefer the term “musician”: with the first one thinks of the hands, with the second of the heart and brain. For me, the nicest thing that can happen is meeting someone who remembers one of my concerts from 40 years ago: it means that something has remained. I have no intention to consider my career finished, instead I believe the best is yet to come and I will work until that happens. Other than music, I need few things: my family, books, fine arts, walks in the woods. I am a fairly decent mycologist and I have never poisoned anyone with mushrooms. I had to give in to the computer, but I don’t own a tablet.
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