Join us for an inspiring conversation with Maria Gabriela Mariani, an accomplished pianist, composer, and writer who seamlessly blends multiple disciplines in her artistic practice. In this episode, Maria discusses her formative years studying under the legendary Aldo Ciccolini in Paris, and how immersing herself in French culture unlocked her understanding of the French piano repertoire by Debussy, Ravel, and other masters. She shares insights into her creative process, where each album represents a carefully curated musical journey exploring themes of memory, history, and emotion.
Maria reveals that despite her multifaceted career spanning piano performance, composition, literature, and even scientific research in quantum physics, her primary identity remains that of a pianist and musical interpreter. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical and cultural context of composers—from Prokofiev’s escape narratives to Ravel’s exotic fantasies—to fully interpret their works. Her latest album showcases her deep engagement with dramatic and fantastical characters in music, including pieces like Prokofiev’s Visions Fugitives and Ravel’s Scarbo, each chosen to create a thematic narrative that speaks to the listener’s imagination.
Throughout the conversation, Maria discusses how her varied intellectual pursuits—from studying middle ages history to nuclear physics—directly inform her musical interpretations and programming choices. She describes her hands as “wild horses” that require constant training, and explains how her nomadic lifestyle between Italy and Nepal continues to feed her creative inspiration and cultural understanding.
Main Topics
Maria Gabriela Mariani studied under legendary pianist Aldo Ciccolini in Paris at age 19, which proved transformative for understanding French musical aesthetics and repertoire
She identifies primarily as a pianist and musical interpreter, though she also composes and writes; her professional focus remains on the piano despite her diverse intellectual interests
Each of Maria's albums is carefully programmed around a central theme or concept—such as memory, history, or landscape—with pieces selected to create a cohesive artistic narrative
Understanding the historical and cultural context of composers is essential to her interpretation process; she researches extensively about periods like World War I to inform her performances of works by Prokofiev and other composers
Maria's approach to piano performance requires daily practice and discipline, which she compares to training wild horses, while her intellectual pursuits in science, literature, and history directly enhance her musical interpretations
She received praise from renowned pianist Martha Argerich for her extraordinary improvisation abilities and artistic variety, describing her playing as unpredictable and interesting
Marta Gabriela's latest album features dramatic and fantastical pieces including Prokofiev's Visions Fugitives and Ravel's Scarbo, exploring themes of escape, imagination, and emotion
Full TranscriptHello and welcome to future Classic Women Awards. With me, Stefania Passamonte on the women's radio station, the program...▼
Hello and welcome to future Classic Women Awards. With me, Stefania Passamonte on the women's radio station, the program of research for the most amazing new female artist on the classical panorama. Today on future Classic Women Awards, we have a very special guest, a fantastic pianist and composer and writer. I mean, she's everything and even more. And that's Maria Gabriela Mariani. Good morning, Maria Gabriela. Good morning, Stefania. Good morning. How are you? Very well. I was playing piano and when I must pass from musical language to English language, it's very, very, very difficult for me. I know. Indeed, I just made sorry for every mistake I sure will make now. Gabriela, where are you? I am in Campo Basso. This is a short city in Italy. Yesterday I was in Nepal, the Campo Basso. Tomorrow, Nepal again, every day in Italy. Thank you. Oh, fantastic. Well, you know, you are going between wonderful cities. Really, so that's pretty, pretty wonderful. Now you actually studied as well in different places. You studied in France, you studied in America. How did it go? I mean, when did you go to France? When I was a young girl, 19, with my teacher, Aldo Ciccolini. That was called Naples, but he worked in Paris and I frequented his academy in Paris and also Biella International Pianistic Academy for three years, so that I speak English with. Wow. Well, you know, Aldo Ciccolini is a legendary pianist known by everyone in the world. And he had this incredible, you know, technique and philosophy of the sound and the music. How was your first encounter with Ciccolini? Were you like starstruck or. You know, when I studied with him, I. It was very difficult for me to study Franz others, because he loved very much them. But after this period, it's magic. I don't know why, but I began playing Franz Others and now even these others are those ones I play better than the others. I don't know why even this last critics from Robbie Chalinor from Music Web International. Well, he. What about my last cd, Vision Suite for piano? And above all, he wrote very well about my friends, others, Debussy, Ravel, Pon. I don't know why. Perhaps Ciccolini, after this, living with him, inflate me even in the future, Even when he isn't anymore. Yes, no, absolutely. Well, there is something I discovered when I was Turing as a young pianist as well, that the French repertoire, you don't understand the French language, the French, you know, irony, the sound, the image that is from the French culture and the French language until you actually go to France. And the same was with Spain. I remember Going to Spain and listening to the Spanish pianist playing the Spanish music. And it was like you could have been the most fantastic Russian virtuoso, or German or Italian or French. But the Spanish were unbeatable playing the Spanish repertoire because they knew what the music was trying to represent. So. And I remember I always had problem playing the bc. They always told me it was too much like. Too romantic. He didn't have to write impressionistic sounds. And when I went to France, studying with Jacques Lagarde at the Col Normale, you know, it was enough to have a lesson with him. And he already unlocked what I didn't understood before. And then you can apply that to other styles as well. But it was very, very interesting. So I'm very generous. You met Ciccolini? I wish I met him. And also. I mean you both in your biography. Fantastic quote by Marta Argerich. That is another legend of the piano. And she's saying her playing is so interesting, so artistic and varied and never predictable. I really like her Scarbo. Her improvisation is extraordinary. So her improvisation, your improvisation is extraordinary. Now, does that come from your quality as a composer? The fact that you can also have this improvising feeling when you are performing? Well, it's not a particular others every time I must play a part, because every CD of mine is a particular part. So that I is a different order, but that is linked to the others by a theme, by an expression. It can be memory, history, describe landscape, etc. And so every other correspond. A particular part is the best for me in that moment, perhaps three months ago was Prokof. Now is from. I must include another program, another CD that will be Waltz in general, so that Bram's Vance was Ghidlini was, etc. So that there is not a particular order. Perhaps Mariani is my favorite. Isn't too much easy to play. It's more difficult to. Now I have a very big question. Do you feel yourself more as a composer or as a pianist or as a writer? As pianist. Sincerely as pianist. Because I born as pianist. I began waiting Music and literature in 2008. You know, I always have written, but I published in literature and in music only from 2008. So that the great work, the hard work. I play piano from I was three years. So I am pianist. I would like to be pianist because professionally is the most better field for me as a composer, as literature compositions is an expression of mine more expression. But the real job for me is pianist and interpretative at the same time. Well, I'd like to Listen to one of the first tracks from your latest album, that is Prokofiev is the busium Fugitive. Now, would you like to tell us something about these pieces before we start? Why did you choose to start our interview? To know you better with Prokofiev? Yes, Because Prokofiev is dramatic and comic at the same time. Since I choose a time that is memory. It's a description of the First World War, the stress of landscape Russian is very impressive for me. So that the bizian fugitive of Prokofiev had the first piece that represented for me the Memory. The Memory and the same time, the sweet. Because after Prokof there will be others that play sweet, but in the different way. Well, let's listen to the visual fugitive, number 14 and number 15. SAM SA. Wow. And this was procafe vision fugitive, the escaping visions performed by maria gabriela mariani. Maria gabriella. Sorry, I don't know why. Maria gabriella. Gabriella. Now, when did you decide that you said you were born a pianist. You started at 3 years old to play the piano. And I mean, when did you know that you would become a professional musician? Do you Remember? I was 19. It has been very late, even if I was already graduated. But I loved. Also loved literature, chemical, I don't know, Chemic. That it was very difficult to pick a chooser, even. Even. Because music is a difficult choose. It's a particular choose even of life, not only of job, but in that period I received a possibility to teach in school. I refused. I worked hard at the piano to participate. I participated at international competition. Can you seek competitions so that I understood that this one was my way of life and my strength, my teacher? Absolutely. Well, you know, I read also that you have. I mean, you studied other things. So on top of piano, you have. You did something about the diplomatic career. And you. You studied scientific research as a consultant in the fields of studies combined with music. And so, I mean, and. And also you did something with the National Institute of Nuclear Physics. So something about, you know, quantum physics and music that's published by Artisan in Artisan in world. Right? By the editor, I mean, how do you do all these? Well, for me it's a culture, a question of culture. In this period, this current year. I know that we are specific, Kniffield, but for me it was a necessity to research in every kind of culture. It's normal that in the second time every kind of culture come back to me. And so music, architecture, music, art, music, science is location to communicate my ideas, because I Think that after all, pianists, composer, writing, or even people that work in the street want to communicate his history, his ideas, so that these are only a way to communicate and express our opinion about life, about sensation, etc. Another thing is my professional job that is pianistic, technically interpretative. Every day you must play piano because he have two hands. And so you can't only understand things, you must say these things you must say to hands that have not. Oh yeah, absolutely. Well, I. I call the hands like wild horses. So if you don't train them every day, they will just go wild and there is no way you can control them, isn't it? I think that this was the mix my first job, but it's necessary for my hands. But if I travel, for example, today I must travel during my trip I will read something, for example, I will read about German, for example. In the. Yes, for example, people can say, but what is the thing about music? There isn't. But for me, it's important to understand about middle age, about music, but nature, about. Because when I must program my city, I must understand the First World War, what is the effect from by others. So I must know, really know First World War I, for example, or German. If I. I would like to write about a particular period, I must understand middle age, what is. For me, this is important. I have one life, only one life. Well, I totally agree. I mean, music is so much about life and it's not just the life of today. The life of today has been made by the life of yesterday and before yesterday. So we know who we are today. If we learn from the past. That's something that has, you know, has been taught and needs to be taught forever and ever to the future generations. And so you can't think of playing piano without knowing everything else that is around the life of the composers. They compose those pieces, for example, to understand better what they wanted to say with the music and with the notes that they wrote. Or, you know, there is so many pieces by Prokofiev as well, that they were composed, you know, escaping, for example, from the new Soviet regime. So. And there is this daunting menace of, for example, in the Prokofiev Sonata for Cello and Piano, you can really see him trying to escape the spies from the regime. So better even the comic pro film as well. Yeah, as you said, is an escape. Comic porkography is a way to forget his past. So I want to see this, suggest this character, even music. But above all, in my head. Well, you know, talking about comic characters that are at the same time very dramatic. We read the review by Marta Deric of your Scarbo from Ravel. The Gaspar de la Luit that is one of my favorite pieces ever. And Prokoffel as well. There is the beautiful. There is beautiful pieces dedicated to fantasy characters. Which one is your favorite? Do you have a favorite one? Did you compose something about the character? Like this one? Dramatic. Dramatic. It's because it's a complexity dramatic character, comprence? Take comic and ironic irony, for example. Gaspar Derenui. When I played Scarbo, I remember the ones I had. And while I played the piano Scarborough Running. It was excited by this piece of music. Diabolic dark music. It's hard, but dark music. While Prokofe is more empty deeply. As a Russian composer, Ravelli portraits dramatic in a French way. So nose more dark and less percussive and more lights, light. And every others as his vision echo his vision about this kind of character. After dpc, for example, another kind DBC is more impressive. Said I don't have enough money to travel, so I must travel by imagination. And so as you told he about Spanish melody, Spanish atmosphere or oriental atmosphere, it's amp. After another day, perhaps he think about a rainy ink garden. And so he wrote another kind to express vision. Absolutely. Well, the next piece we're gonna listen is exactly an extract from the Busile Estamp. So Estamp means like Prince. And he was probably imagining it has three pieces. One is Pagod. So he must have imagined the Pagod from the exotic Far east and then the Suarez Granade. So imagining the fiesta that you would have in summer evening in Granada. And then the last one is Le Jardin de la Pluie. Now Le Jardin de la Pluy is a very virtuous piece and at the same time it's so full of nuances. It's a really special piece. So why did you choose of the three Les Jardin de la Pluy? Because I think that this piece linked technical and interpretive themes at the same time and is a complete piece of music to listen to. So let's listen to Jardin sur la Pluie, the Garden under the Rain by Debussy. Sam. Sa. Sa. Sam. And this was Leisure Dance Lapui from dpc the Garden under the Rain performed by Maria Gabriela Mariani, Italian composer and pianist, Our guest of future classic women awards today. Gabriela. How beautiful this Jordan Silacri. I remember I played this piece with the rest of this stamp for my diploma at the conservatoire when I was just 18. Some time ago. And I remember this piece. It was so I. It was the end of my program, actually. And it was really like the firework. It's so glorious. That's the moment when like there is the maximum of the shower, the rain that we get here in the UK so often. And then suddenly there is the sun who's coming out. So very, very beautiful. Now, do you remember a garden particularly in mind when you performed this piece? Or you were just thinking about the note, for example, you know, when I studied this piece, I began studying this piece when I was a young girl like you. But when I started studied again this piece for my last city, I thought about my park near my home. And so my window is near this park. So that in that moment there are every day rain, rain, rain. And well. Well, I was very happy because I saw the rain from my window and I could image very well this atmosphere. One time, I remember saying myself, said to myself, Gabriela, but you have not to play sound. You must play thought about rain. A rain, grid, grace, egotic atmosphere. I n garden, romantic garden in France, for example. Well, in middle age, a cinematic way, place. You must think about this. So is mystery. Also mystery and a mysterious atmosphere. Not only sound. Papa. Papa. But even a magic moment. And so the color, sound, expression was from my windows, the park near my home. Ah, beautiful, beautiful. Now, I'd like to ask you, you know, you received many awards for your career, for your albums. Do you have a critic? You know, critics are always good and bad and, you know, some are constructive, some are fantastic, some others are not. A nice one. Do you remember your favorite one? Perhaps the first. I was 14. No, so I don't know. 14 years old. My first recital in. It was limited at a. Yes. There was a journalist, Kariki, that was Maria Gabriela Mariani. If she will continue playing music, she will rise with capacity, interpretative capacity and technical capacity. Very extraordinary. Stefania. This was for me a surprise because I was in. In hotel and perhaps I bought this journal and I read this word. I didn't know that it expresses this word about me. And I had to read again, again, two, three times my name, because I. I didn't believe that he expressed this word about me. It was a surprise. Perhaps this is the more important judges about me, because it was an encouragement to continue playing piano. Now, a very, you know, question that all of us has been going through. Did you. Do you remember not to tell us, but do you remember if you ever received something that made you sad? A critic that you didn't like that you thought you didn't understand your. You know, that was what you expected. For example, Marta Harkich the beautiful word about my recital Martagic about sonata Lisa Sonata or my teacher Ciccolini. I was always very happy. But responsibility responsibility for me because I know that I must continue this level. I cannot go back. So it's hard to me even to receive this well, words I remember was. I frequented the Ciccolini Academy after playing Liszt. He said the other students to applaud me my education. I was so much I. So much emotion that I say it wasn't true. I say that I had an alleged attack it wasn't true. And so that I could go back in a bathroom and enjoy for myself this particular moment. There are many, many positive constructive experiences. Even this last By Rob Chalinor English journalist into Music Web International Wrote two to three days ago about this cd for example, his said is what dedicated to Mario Chef in my composition. Are a joy to listen to. We are taken through so many emotional and the closing page what bringing any audience to its feet. Those days weren't already. In single. While I play, it's very, very emotional for me. I live about this sound expression. It's a time wind. I don't use eyes, I use sounds. Yes, yes, absolutely. Wonderful, wonderful. Now, do you remember the most exciting moment in your career? Well, for example, when I graduated to my graduate I have. And I had long hair. So during my performance I. It wasn't. It is necessary to lie my hair by the clip. During my execution, this clip fell down one of the loader. So at the keyboard is clipped on the cable. So when I raise my right hand, the other before playing Trimoro push them away clips away from the keyboard. Yeah, the keyboard. And before enjoying my link to right hand, I catch them. And after I played. It's very, very amusing moment for me. Or when I improvised and Schubert improvising. Because in national competition I had a program that was 18 minutes and not 20 minutes. So that commission asked me to play another. No way. Yeah. At last time I say, well, I will improvise. And oh, wow, that's amazing. It's the first time I hear that you have to play an extra two minutes. That's crazy. Where was that? And I choose this Schubert improvisation improvised. There were 2, 3, 4. I don't know much that I didn't play just like it and improvise this improvise after commission saved me. But it's too long. It's too much longer now. Too short, too Long. Come on. It was. We know. Too much grace, St. Anthony. Too much grace to Santa Antonio. That's very funny. Too much. For you? I really like it. Well, the. The next piece we're talking, you know, we're gonna listen to. It's funny enough, it's a. Is a again a French composer. Poulong French composer of the 20th century. Another of my favorite really composers. But it's dedicated to Italy. So it's the Caprice Italien. Right, The Italian Capriccio. Would you like to tell us something about this piece before we listen to it? At first, because it's a sweet as like Prokofiev like. At the second, because its memory is another travel. Not any imagination, but real travel. And at the first, because my teacher Ciccolini was born in Naples, but he lived in Paris and he loved very much Paris French composers. And Blanc is a French composer. So that is an homage to Ciccolini. Well, you know, it's so funny because Aldo Ciccolini was born in Italy, but he lived all his life in France. So in a way he was more French than Italian. He's a bit like me. I was born in Italy, raised in Italy, but then I've been living here the other half it of. Of my life already. So I'm British and Italian, so I'm two person in a way. So I embrace the British life and the British way of thinking. But at the same time you can't eradicate the Italian upbringing. Now, how was Ciccolini? I mean, could you still. Could you talk to him in Italian, for example? Or he was too French by the time you arrived to meet him? Yes, and I think that when you is not in that place, so in that moment there are a memory, a particular memory about that place. For example, I don't live anymore in Naples, but in my music there is a lot of atmosphere, Neapolitan atmosphere. And if I would live in Naples, perhaps there. Well, let's listen to Capriccio Italiano. Caprice Italian by Pulak. Sa. Sa. Sam. Ah, fantastic. This was Caprice Italienne by Poulenc, performed by the fantastic pianist, Italian pianist, Maria Gabriella Mariani. Gabriella. Absolutely gorgeous. Actually, I never listened to this Caprice Italian by Poulenc. He is a super composer. I played chamber music by Poulenc, but never his solo pieces. And I saw Virtuoso and that waltz in the middle is so nostalgic, so Neapolitan as well. Yes, it's a complex other. It's necessary to decolver this Other above all mystic piece, plank piece of music. Because I think that he isn't played much time. Instead it's very, very interesting. Other. Yes, so ironical as well. He's ironical, he's clever, he's deep, he's everything. He's the old package, as you say here. Well, thank you so much for making us listen to this fantastic composer. Now the last part. There's not much time left, unfortun. This hour always flies away. We're gonna listen to a little bit of one of your compositions called Mediterranea, the Chef Tango. So would you like to tell us about this piece? This piece is very important because when I write music as a composer, there are a lot of motive experiences that can influence, influence my compositions. For example, in that moment I had to write a tango because I had to go to German, that is the second place first for Tangeros. So that my agent asked to me, asked to me to write a tango. While I was writing this music, I knew that my old and great friend Chef Mario Chef was that so that I I unite linked this two experiences and is born Chef Tango that is not only a tango dedicated to Marshev, but in an image I imagine dancing with him in another dimension. Oh, beautiful. Let's listen to Chef Tango. Sat sam sa. Sa. Sam. How beautiful. This was a chef tango from the sweet Mediterranean composed and performed by Maria Gabriela Mariani. Gabriela, how beautiful. I mean, this was everything you can hear from list from Argentina, Gina Serra. So much original as well on your style. Well, it's a pity our hour is already gone. So I have to tell our audience that if they have any question you can ask to our guest or nomination for our future Classic Women Awards, you can email presentersomensregiostation.com or tweet us @womensregistn. And again, a very thanks to you, Maria Gabriela Mariani has been a wonderful honor as well to hear your music and hear your stories today on future Classic Women Awards. Thank you. Thanks to you. Because. Because it's been very, very, very fascinated. I has been very fascinated to speak with you that is in Italian, English and after. Because I could speak in Britain after this article by Chalina. And so I love, love English, I love this country because there is a feeling with me. Excuse me, I don't speak very well English. It's very, very dimage. Yes, but we understood. Well, thank you so much. Gabriela. You've been listening to feature classic Women awards on women's radio station live every day at 10am And 10pm London time. If you would like to listen to it again or catch on our previous programs, you can head to the presenter page Stefania Pasamonte Future classicwomenawards on womensregistration. Com. Thank you for listening.
