Filippo Mazzoli: “The project “Byzantinum” was born out of my artistic need to represent and to showcase the musical talents of my territory. The cooperation between composers and instrumentalists has always favoured the development of a repertoire which, in many cases, became part of concert and recording programmes, until it became, at times, matter also for study and pedagogy. One has merely to think to the cooperation, in the 1960s, between flutist Severino Gazzelloni and two Italian geniuses of composition, i.e. Luciano Berio and Bruno Maderna.
Thence came my idea to involve seven composers who are currently active both nationally and internationally. They all were born and still live in the provinces of Bologna and Ravenna, and lent their skill for the creation of an original flute repertoire dedicated to me. At first, the programme had been conceived for public concert performances. However, the idea of embodying in a CD the entire project will leave a testimony, in time, about the high artistic value of the musical proposals presented here. I have always been convinced that “contemporary” music must be an active component within a musician’s itinerary. As interpreters, we have the duty to bring to light today’s repertoires, whatever their language, but provided they are quality works. One of my dearest teachers, i.e. Glauco Cambursano, who had been a legendary principal flutist at the Teatro alla Scala for more than forty years, always provided me with stimuli in this direction. We must be open to all languages, even to those which, initially, seem farthest from our being. One of the unique traits of this CD is precisely this: it offers to the listener a palette of languages which are extremely different from each other. They create a kaleidoscope of colours, sounds, and images, leading us to a dimension which is at times dreamlike, at times melancholic or evocative.”

Filippo Mazzoli: flute

Denis Zardi: piano

Marco Rosetti: composer