We had a pleasant conversation with the pianist and composer Francisco Casarotti on his musical life.
–Can we get to know you?
My name is Francisco Casarotti. I’m a pianist and composer originally from Argentina but based in Montreal, Quebec.
–What is the story of how you became familiar with your instrument?
Back in my teenage and young adult years, I used to play the drums and also the guitar. One day, I discovered the music from the Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi, and it literally changed my life. I had no experience playing the piano and never imagined that I would play it some day, but I was determined to learn and so I did. I never had any music lessons and I still can’t read music to this day, so I had to learn everything by ear. It didn’t take long before it became my favorite instrument. I slowly started to focus all my attention on learning how to play my favorite piano pieces, to the point where I stopped playing the guitar and drums.
–How do you see the level of interest in classical music around the world? And how is it in your country?
For me, classical music will live forever. Streaming platforms are making it accessible to everyone around the world and people are taking advantage of that. People in Canada just love music in general but i feel like classical music (or just piano music) is growing more and more over the years and as piano composer, i love to see that. Not to say that I consider myself a classical composer though, i don’t even play much classical music at all, but i do enjoy listening to it. I think that just like me, a lot of modern composers draw inspiration from classical music, but none of us consider ourselves classical composers contrary to the belief of many. Some people call our music modern classical, neoclassical, contemporary piano, new age, minimalist… I don’t think it’s important, what matters is just the music and the feelings that you can evoke in people, regardless of the genre or how you want to call it. I think that now days, and specially since the beginning of the pandemic, everyone is so stressed out for different reasons and just need something to help them breath, relax and be present in the moment. Music can do that and much more.
–Do you know Turkey? Are there any classical music artists from our country that you follow?
I’ve never visited Turkey but i have a lot of fans from there and i think it’s amazing. They are so supportive and i am very grateful for that. I personally love the music from Josh Kramer, who’s an American pianist/composer based in Ankara, Turkey. I’m not sure if it counts? Again, i wouldn’t call his music “classical” but he’s in the same genre as me, however you want to call it. I definitely recommend his music if you haven’t heard of him.
–Can you tell us about any new projects you have in the works?
I’ve been working on a lot of music for the past few months. My plan for now is to continue releasing singles, which seems to work well for me, but hopefully step up the pace a bit. Who knows, maybe my first album will start taking form soon… stay tuned! Thank you very much for this opportunity and for choosing to interview me. It means a lot!–
https://www.franciscocasarotti.com
https://www.instagram.com/francisco.casarotti
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