Matteo Sommacal
Encyclopedia
Matteo Sommacal, born November 18, 1977 in Roma
(Italy), is an Italian composer and mathematical physicist.
As a composer, he has been active since 2000 writing concert and film music. Since late 2000, he has been serving as the artistic director of the Italian chamber ensemble Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
, that premiered and recorded several of his compositions. As a scientist, his main research is in the fied of nonlinear evolution equations and in studies dealing with the onset of chaotic behaviors
in dynamical systems.
and Baroque
repertoire, through the guidance of Gabriella Casularo, Marcos Volonterio (Conservatoire Populaire de Musique, Geneve, CH), John Tyson (New England Conservatory of Music
, Boston, USA) and Stefano Bragetti (Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, CH). After a brief period performing recorder, in 1997 he met Carmelo Piccolo, professor at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini"
. This meeting was a turning point for his musical career: through Piccolo, he discovered the freedom and beauty of the language of modern music and began focussing his studies in composition and piano.
A mathematician as well, he was ultimately attracted to the disciplined, highly structured and near scientific treatment of the musical material typical of many minimalist
and postminimalist
composers. In late 2000, with the pianist Giovanni Rosati and a group of young musicians devoted to contemporary music, he co-founded in Rome
the ensemble Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
, as a laboratory to realize his and other living composers' musical experimentation.
His works are regularly performed in Italy and major festivals dedicated to contemporary music. In September 2004, his work Quasi un tango per la neve del mattino, for soprano sax, cello and piano four-hands, was premiered at the "Festival delle Città/Estate Musicale" in Portogruaro (Venice), Italy, with Alessandro Specchi at the piano. His work Emersioni, for percussion ensemble and organ, was premiered in 2005 by the Gruppo Percussioni Trieste conducted by Fabian Perez Tedesco at the season opener of the Conservatorio di Musica "Giuseppe Tartini" in Trieste, Italy. His music was performed at the Contemporary Music Festival "Luigi Nono" in Trieste, Italy, in 2004 by the Piccola Accademia degli Specchi, and in 2005 by the Corale Nuovo Accordo, conducted by Andrea Mistaro. He participated in three programs of the International Contemporary Arts Festival "Postaja Topolove" (July 2004, July 2005, July 2006). His music was performed at "Cantiere Musica" (July 2008), "The September Concert" (September 2009) and "Nuovi Spazi Musicali" (October 2009), under the artistic direction of Ada Gentile, where Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
premiered his work La ragazza che dormiva sotto il letto.
In 2009, the festival "Bagliori d'autore" commissioned him to compose a work based on the life and writings of Victor Hugo
: for this commission he wrote a piece for speaker and ensemble entitled Actes et paroles, with a text elaborated by Chiara Piola Caselli after Victor Hugo's last political speech, "Sur la Revision de la Constitution", given on July 18, 1851. The piece was premiered in Rome in November 2009 by Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
featuring the composer Matthias Kadar
.
In addition to live performances of his music, his compositions have been featured on radio such as New Sounds on
WNYC
and
Echoes
on NPR
.
His two works for chamber ensemble Counter Rotating In Vacuum and Le Ragioni Dimenticate were defined as "particularly enchanting" by the music critic Rob Haskins on the May/June issue of the American Record Guide
. Reviewing his piano multi-hand suite Fibonacci's Piranhas, the Italian pianist and video-music artist Valeria Di Matteo wrote that it represents "a perfect example of how, in the context of minimal music, the two languages of music and science can balance and cooperate for the achievement of works of high artistic value".
He scored several documentaries and experimental short films, notably the musical short Candidamente by Ruggero Lancia (Italy 2000); the historical documentary La Resistenza nella Provincia di Roma by Michele Imperio (Italy 2006), which received the sponsorship of the Province of Rome
; the documentary Macchia Madre by Simona Marziani (Italy, 2008); and the documentary A Mani Nude by Piero Pieri (Italy 2010), produced by the national broadcasting service RAI
. He also scored the current European Marine Equipment Council promo video (Belgium, 2008).
in Trieste, Italy, with Francesco Calogero
as advisor (2005). His scientific publications in English include 16 papers (co-authored); he co-edited a special issue of Journal of Physics A
. His main research concerns: the transitions from ordered to disordered motions for dynamical systems, explained
as travels on Riemann surfaces (this novel interpretation of Chaos
is cited on Wolfram MathWorld
Encyclopedia); the Kirchhoff elastic rod
as a model for polymeric chains; the Landau-Lifshitz equation
as a model for propagating magnetic droplets in ferromagnetic materials. He worked also on isochronous
dynamical systems and oscillatory chemical reactions
. Since 2009, he has been serving as co-chair of the organizing committee of the NEEDS International Conferences series.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(Italy), is an Italian composer and mathematical physicist.
As a composer, he has been active since 2000 writing concert and film music. Since late 2000, he has been serving as the artistic director of the Italian chamber ensemble Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
Piccola Accademia degli Specchi is a chamber ensemble in Rome, central Italy. founded in late 2000 by Giovanni Rosati and Matteo Sommacal, specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music, with particular attention to the so-called minimalist and postminimalist experiences...
, that premiered and recorded several of his compositions. As a scientist, his main research is in the fied of nonlinear evolution equations and in studies dealing with the onset of chaotic behaviors
Chaos theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
in dynamical systems.
Music
He was introduced as a child to ancient music and recorder which later on inspired him to pursue extensive research of RenaissanceRenaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
and Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
repertoire, through the guidance of Gabriella Casularo, Marcos Volonterio (Conservatoire Populaire de Musique, Geneve, CH), John Tyson (New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
, Boston, USA) and Stefano Bragetti (Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, CH). After a brief period performing recorder, in 1997 he met Carmelo Piccolo, professor at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini"
Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini"
The Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" is a music conservatory in Pesaro, Italy. Founded in 1869 with a legacy from the composer Gioachino Rossini, the conservatory officially opened in 1882 with 67 students and was then known as the Liceo musicale Rossini...
. This meeting was a turning point for his musical career: through Piccolo, he discovered the freedom and beauty of the language of modern music and began focussing his studies in composition and piano.
A mathematician as well, he was ultimately attracted to the disciplined, highly structured and near scientific treatment of the musical material typical of many minimalist
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
and postminimalist
Postminimalism
Postminimalism is an art term coined by Robert Pincus-Witten in 1971 used in various artistic fields for work which is influenced by, or attempts to develop and go beyond, the aesthetic of minimalism...
composers. In late 2000, with the pianist Giovanni Rosati and a group of young musicians devoted to contemporary music, he co-founded in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
the ensemble Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
Piccola Accademia degli Specchi is a chamber ensemble in Rome, central Italy. founded in late 2000 by Giovanni Rosati and Matteo Sommacal, specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music, with particular attention to the so-called minimalist and postminimalist experiences...
, as a laboratory to realize his and other living composers' musical experimentation.
His works are regularly performed in Italy and major festivals dedicated to contemporary music. In September 2004, his work Quasi un tango per la neve del mattino, for soprano sax, cello and piano four-hands, was premiered at the "Festival delle Città/Estate Musicale" in Portogruaro (Venice), Italy, with Alessandro Specchi at the piano. His work Emersioni, for percussion ensemble and organ, was premiered in 2005 by the Gruppo Percussioni Trieste conducted by Fabian Perez Tedesco at the season opener of the Conservatorio di Musica "Giuseppe Tartini" in Trieste, Italy. His music was performed at the Contemporary Music Festival "Luigi Nono" in Trieste, Italy, in 2004 by the Piccola Accademia degli Specchi, and in 2005 by the Corale Nuovo Accordo, conducted by Andrea Mistaro. He participated in three programs of the International Contemporary Arts Festival "Postaja Topolove" (July 2004, July 2005, July 2006). His music was performed at "Cantiere Musica" (July 2008), "The September Concert" (September 2009) and "Nuovi Spazi Musicali" (October 2009), under the artistic direction of Ada Gentile, where Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
Piccola Accademia degli Specchi is a chamber ensemble in Rome, central Italy. founded in late 2000 by Giovanni Rosati and Matteo Sommacal, specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music, with particular attention to the so-called minimalist and postminimalist experiences...
premiered his work La ragazza che dormiva sotto il letto.
In 2009, the festival "Bagliori d'autore" commissioned him to compose a work based on the life and writings of Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
: for this commission he wrote a piece for speaker and ensemble entitled Actes et paroles, with a text elaborated by Chiara Piola Caselli after Victor Hugo's last political speech, "Sur la Revision de la Constitution", given on July 18, 1851. The piece was premiered in Rome in November 2009 by Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
Piccola Accademia degli Specchi is a chamber ensemble in Rome, central Italy. founded in late 2000 by Giovanni Rosati and Matteo Sommacal, specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music, with particular attention to the so-called minimalist and postminimalist experiences...
featuring the composer Matthias Kadar
Matthias Kadar
Matthias Kadar , composer, was born in Paris of Hungarian-German parents. After a short study in economics, he decided to concentrate on music and composition.-Biography:...
.
In addition to live performances of his music, his compositions have been featured on radio such as New Sounds on
WNYC
WNYC
WNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
and
Echoes
Echoes (radio program)
Echoes is a daily two-hour music radio program hosted by John Diliberto featuring a soundscape of ambient, space, electronica, and New Age music. The program features in-depth artist interviews and intimate "living room" performances. Interview subjects have included Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel,...
on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
.
His two works for chamber ensemble Counter Rotating In Vacuum and Le Ragioni Dimenticate were defined as "particularly enchanting" by the music critic Rob Haskins on the May/June issue of the American Record Guide
American Record Guide
The American Record Guide is a classical music magazine. It has reviewed classical music recordings since 1935.Since 1992, with the incorporation of the Musical America editorial functions into ARG, it started covering concerts, musicians, ensembles and orchestras in the US.The magazine prides...
. Reviewing his piano multi-hand suite Fibonacci's Piranhas, the Italian pianist and video-music artist Valeria Di Matteo wrote that it represents "a perfect example of how, in the context of minimal music, the two languages of music and science can balance and cooperate for the achievement of works of high artistic value".
He scored several documentaries and experimental short films, notably the musical short Candidamente by Ruggero Lancia (Italy 2000); the historical documentary La Resistenza nella Provincia di Roma by Michele Imperio (Italy 2006), which received the sponsorship of the Province of Rome
Province of Rome
The Province of Rome , is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. The province can be viewed as the extended metropolitan area of the city of Rome, although in its more peripheral portions, especially to the north, it comprises towns surrounded by rural landscape.-Geography:The Province of Rome...
; the documentary Macchia Madre by Simona Marziani (Italy, 2008); and the documentary A Mani Nude by Piero Pieri (Italy 2010), produced by the national broadcasting service RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
. He also scored the current European Marine Equipment Council promo video (Belgium, 2008).
Science
Matteo Sommacal earned a M.Sc. in Physics at the Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy (2002). Subsequently, he received a Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics at the International School for Advanced StudiesInternational School for Advanced Studies
The ' is an international, Italian-state-supported post-graduate teaching and research institute with a special statute, located in Trieste ....
in Trieste, Italy, with Francesco Calogero
Francesco Calogero
Francesco Calogero is a distinguished Italian physicist, active in the community of scientists concerned with nuclear disarmament.-Biography:...
as advisor (2005). His scientific publications in English include 16 papers (co-authored); he co-edited a special issue of Journal of Physics A
Journal of Physics A
The Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by IOP Publishing. It is part of the Journal of Physics series and covers theoretical physics focusing on sophisticated mathematical and computational techniques.The journal is divided into six...
. His main research concerns: the transitions from ordered to disordered motions for dynamical systems, explained
as travels on Riemann surfaces (this novel interpretation of Chaos
Chaos theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
is cited on Wolfram MathWorld
MathWorld
MathWorld is an online mathematics reference work, created and largely written by Eric W. Weisstein. It is sponsored by and licensed to Wolfram Research, Inc. and was partially funded by the National Science Foundation's National Science Digital Library grant to the University of Illinois at...
Encyclopedia); the Kirchhoff elastic rod
Elasticity (physics)
In physics, elasticity is the physical property of a material that returns to its original shape after the stress that made it deform or distort is removed. The relative amount of deformation is called the strain....
as a model for polymeric chains; the Landau-Lifshitz equation
Landau–Lifshitz model
In solid-state physics, the Landau–Lifshitz equation , named for Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz, is a partial differential equation describing time evolution of magnetism in solids, depending on 1 time variable and 1, 2, or 3 space variables....
as a model for propagating magnetic droplets in ferromagnetic materials. He worked also on isochronous
Isochronous
Isochronous : From Greek iso, equal + chronos, time. It literally means regularly, or at equal time intervals. In general English language, it refers to something that occurs at a regular interval, of the same duration; as opposed to synchronous which refers to more than one thing happening at the...
dynamical systems and oscillatory chemical reactions
Chemical clock
A chemical clock is a complex mixture of reacting chemical compounds in which the concentration of one or more components exhibits periodic changes....
. Since 2009, he has been serving as co-chair of the organizing committee of the NEEDS International Conferences series.
Orchestra
- Il circolo incantato, for unlimited amount and kinds of treble and bass instruments, with at least 6 treble instruments for each bass instrument (2004)
- Emersioni, for percussion orchestra (vibraphones, xilophones, marimbas, glockenspiels, tubular bells) and organ (2005)
- La conversione di San Paolo, for string orchestra, piano 4 hands, 2 flutes, clarinet, sax quartet and chorus (2006/2008)
Chamber
- Camera con vista sulla piscina, for piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax, flute (2000/2004)
- Il punto di Salomone, for recorder quartet (2000/2001); alt. vers. for sax quartet (2001)
- Counter rotating in vacuum, for piano 4 hands, sax quartet and 2 flutes (2000/2001); alt. vers. for piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax and flute (2002)
- Andrea, for piano 4 hands, cello, soprano sax and flute (2002)
- Nessuno ascolta il cane di ceramica, for piano, violin and flute (2002); alt. vers. for piano, soprano sax and flute (2003)
- Le ragioni dimenticate - I Movement, for piano 4 hands, cello, alto sax and piccolo (2003)
- Le ragioni dimenticate - II Movement, for piano 4 hands, cello, alto sax and flute (2003)
- In attesa del suo ritorno, for piano 4 hands, cello, violin and flute (2004/2007)
- Quasi un tango per la neve del mattino, for piano 4 hands, cello and soprano sax (2004)
- Le ragioni dimenticate - III Movement, for piano 4 hands, cello, soprano sax and flute (2009)
- La ragazza che dormiva sotto il letto, for piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax and flute (2009)
- Actes et paroles, (alt. instrumental vers.) for piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax and flute (2009)
- The sign of gathering, for piano and string quartet (2010)
- The forgotten strains, for piano and string quartet (2010)
Vocal/Choral
- La solitudine di Srecko Kosovel, for chorus, 2 clarinets (bass clarinet ad libitum) and percussions (2005)
- La coscienza di Renato Serra, for chorus (2005)
- Tellim, for recorder quartet, glockenspiel and 2 sopranos (2006)
- Lullabies, for piano 4 hands and soprano (2006/2011)
- Actes et paroles, melologue on text by C. Piola Caselli after Victor Hugo's last political speech, "Sur la Revision de la Constitution", July 18, 1851, for actor, piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax and flute (2009)
- Via Crucis - Station I (text by C. Pulsoni), for piano 4 hands, double bass, cello, violin, soprano sax, flute and chorus (2010)
Piano
- Fibonacci's piranhas, for piano 4, 5 and 6 hands (2002/2004)
- Miniatures, for piano (2007/2010)
- Exile upon Earth, for piano (2008/2010)
- In a silent crowd, for piano (2008/2010)
Solo and Duo
- Maria, for piano and flute (2002)
- L'architecture du reveil, for viola and violin (2006/2007)
- Port Said, for piano and clarinet (2008)
- Follow it blindly, for piano and cello (2010)
Film and TV music
- Candidamente, by Ruggero Lancia, Italy (2002)
- La resistenza nella provincia di Roma, by Michele Imperio, Italy (2006)
- Macchia madre, by Simona Marziani, Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara, Italy (2008)
- me: Marine Equipment, by Matteo Musso and Dario Agosta, European Marine Equipment Council, Belgium (2008)
- A mani nude, by Piero Pieri, RAIRAIRAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
, Italy (2010)
Discography
- Candidamente, Prod: M. Sommacal, R. Lancia, M. Siccardi (IT 2002)
- MinimaMachta, Centaur Records (USA 2009)
Radio Archives Online
- Relentless Minimalism - New Sounds, Broadcast on WNYC, 93.9 FM/820 AM, New York, 28 August 2009
- Fuori Circuito - Tornando A Casa, Broadcast on Radio RAI UNO, Italian National Broadcasting, 30 October 2009
- New Music from Keyboardists - New Sounds, Broadcast on WNYC, 93.9 FM/820 AM, New York, 19 March 2010
- Relentless Minimalism - New Sounds, Broadcast on WNYC, 93.9 FM/820 AM, New York, 31 July 2010
External links
- Matteo Sommacal, Casa Musicale Sonzogno
- Matteo Sommacal, Comitato Nazionale Italiano Musica (CIDIM)
- Matteo Sommacal, "Physics and mathematics of nonlinear processes and models", Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza"
- Matteo Sommacal, ResearcherID
- Piccola Accademia degli SpecchiPiccola Accademia degli SpecchiPiccola Accademia degli Specchi is a chamber ensemble in Rome, central Italy. founded in late 2000 by Giovanni Rosati and Matteo Sommacal, specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music, with particular attention to the so-called minimalist and postminimalist experiences...
- Radio interview, with Piero Pieri, "Jazz e Dintorni", Radio RAI UNO, Friuli Venezia Giulia (IT)