Fabrizio Paterlini - Riverscape (2023)

The first time I knew about the Dutch photographer Kristel Shneider was few years ago. She was kind enough to send me her most recent work at that time, the photo book “Variation in trees” and I was immediately captured by the stunning images and the harmony of the shots it included.

During the pandemic, I was contacted by Kristel and she introduced me to her new project – a comprehensive photo book about the French river she is currently living nearby, the Allier river. She also proposed me to compose a sort of “soundtrack” having the “river theme” as source of inspiration.

What Kristel did not know at that time, is that I currently live really close to the biggest Italian river, the PO river, and I find myself, alone or together with my family, quite often walking on its banks, contemplating the calm rhythm of the water passing by or playing on the beach with my kids during Summertime.

The river is then far from being an “unknown” source of inspiration for me – at the opposite is quite a familiar place: I know its languages, I recognize its smell, I love the calmness it always brings me while watching the water passing by. And I am totally fascinated by the stories that arise around the river, stories about men, women, villages, fears and hopes that during the centuries this incredible place brought to its inhabitants.

I then happily accepted Kristel proposal and we immediately started working on this “joint” project in which she was taking care of the visual part and I was in charge of the music to be somehow“synched” to these images.

One and a half year later, I am happy to present you “RIVERSCAPE”, a suite of thirteen songs which introduce to what the river has inspired me – flows, rhythms, piano notes, cinematic strings – all this is what the imaginary of the river inspired me to compose and it’s included in this album.

“RIVERSCAPE” represents an ideal evolution of my music, from 2017 Secret Book, to the most recent “FIFTH” piano, electronics and strings are colors of my palette and in this album are present as never before.