Mario Mattia, improvisational pianist

Who or what are the most significant influences on your musical life and career as an improvisational pianist?

The most significant early influence on my musical life was my first piano teacher. When I was eleven he encouraged me to study music theory, a subject to which I was immediately drawn and pursued with considerable intensity. That work included harmony, counterpoint, ear training, and compositional techniques, alongside immersion in the classical repertoire—especially the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, whose clarity of structure and contrapuntal thinking left a lasting imprint on my musical sensibility.

At the same time I worked extensively with fake books, where only chord symbols and skeletal outlines were provided. Applying the theoretical principles I was learning, I began transforming those frameworks into fully realized music. That process—moving from structure to spontaneous realization—became an early foundation for my improvisational approach.

Over time this expanded through deeper study of theory and piano literature, together with broad exposure to the classical repertoire. I was also strongly drawn to jazz, progressive rock, and progressive metal, interests that led in my twenties to the formation of Möbius, a progressive rock ensemble.

Additional experiences—writing scores and serving as musical director for several theatrical productions, including The Fantasticks—further broadened my musical perspective. Together these influences form the reservoir from which my solo improvisations emerge.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

One of the greatest challenges in my musical life has been working largely in isolation. Much of my improvisational development occurred outside the usual networks of the music community, and I have not been particularly active on social media or within the promotional structures that many musicians rely on today. While this independence allowed the music to evolve without external pressure or expectation, it also limited opportunities for dialogue, collaboration, and visibility.

Another challenge has been communicating what I do as an improvisational pianist. Improvisation—especially when it draws from multiple traditions and unfolds in extended, spontaneous forms—is not always easy to describe. Translating an intuitive, real-time creative process into language that clearly conveys its nature can be surprisingly difficult.

Like many artists who work independently, I have also encountered periods of inertia or diminished motivation. Sustaining creative momentum without the external structure of a musical community can be demanding. Yet in retrospect, these challenges have also shaped my artistic path, allowing the music to develop in a deeply personal and exploratory way.

Of which works are you most proud?

I’m very proud of several unreleased improvisations, several of which you’ll hear soon. Of the released material, I would list these as works I’m most proud of: Toward Illumination; Ode; Reverie; Abstract Waltz; Abstract Boogie; Invention and in particular, Odyssey; Project 51; Project 45 and Emergence.

How would you characterize your improvisational language?

I would characterize my improvisational language as fundamentally emergent rather than predetermined. When I sit at the piano, I do not begin with a preconceived structure or harmonic plan. Instead, I allow the music to unfold in real time, drawing intuitively on the musical vocabulary I have absorbed through years of study and experience.

That vocabulary includes both tonal and non-tonal elements, and the music often moves fluidly between the two. At times a clear tonal center may emerge; at other moments the language becomes more abstract. Much of the expressive interest lies in that shifting relationship.

For this reason, my improvisational language is difficult to place within a single stylistic category. It reflects the assimilation of many influences—classical structure and counterpoint, jazz sensibility, and other contemporary idioms—filtered through a spontaneous process of discovery at the instrument.

How do you work?

I typically work in the evening, often in complete darkness. Over time I have become comfortable playing without needing to see the keyboard, which allows my attention to shift entirely toward the sound itself. In that environment visual distractions disappear and the listening process becomes more focused and immediate.

Before beginning, I sit quietly at the piano with the recording equipment ready. When I feel settled, I simply press record and begin. There is no predetermined plan or formal preparation; the improvisation unfolds in real time, guided by listening and by the musical vocabulary that has developed through years of study and experience.

Working this way creates a setting in which sound predominates and the music can emerge as a spontaneous exploration rather than the execution of a fixed idea. Each improvisation becomes a moment of discovery at the instrument.

Can you describe a moment when improvisation completely surprised you?

Yes. One moment stands out very clearly. On September 11, 2000, at 6:51 PM, I recorded a spontaneous improvisation that lasted more than twenty-five minutes. I began playing without any particular intention, as I normally do, but the music quickly developed a coherence, scope, and intensity that genuinely surprised me while it was unfolding.

What struck me most was the sense that the music seemed to be discovering its own direction in real time, drawing together elements of structure, momentum, and expression that I had not consciously planned. When the improvisation ended, it left a strong impression on me—both musically and personally. That experience became an important turning point. It powerfully affirmed my conviction that improvisation itself could serve as a complete and serious artistic medium, rather than simply a supplement to composed work. From that point forward I increasingly devoted myself to creating in the medium of improvisation. I intend to release that recording at some point in the future.

What do you hope listeners take away from your music?

Ultimately, for me success is when listeners engage deeply with the music—when they return to it over time, draw inspiration from it, and recognize the dedication that shaped it. When that happens, the music has truly connected.”

Can you share a few composers, artists or musical works that were pivotal at different stages of your life, and how they influenced you?

JS Bach: Well-tempered Clavier; Partitas— Architectural Counterpoint

Beethoven: Various Sonatas — Conflict, struggle, transformation

Chopin: 4 Ballades — Lyricism; Sophisticated Harmony

Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy — Large Scale Virtuosic Architecture

Liszt: Mephisto Waltz — Demonic virtuosity

Berg: Sonata — Expressionist; Intense Emotional Depth

Bartok: Bulgarian Dances — Asymmetrical Rhythmic Primitivism

Keith Jarrett: Koln Concert — Spontaneous Long-Form Improvisation

Chick Corea: Piano Improvisations Volumes 1&2 — Playful Structural Improvisation

Art Tatum — Astonishing Technical and Harmonic Complexity

Pink Floyd — Atmospheric Sonic Landscapes

Liquid Tension Experiment —Instrumental Technical Extremity

Frank Zappa — Radical Stylistic Synthesis

What advice would you give to young/aspiring musicians?

Practice builds technique. Listening makes it music.

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences / listeners?

Classical music doesn’t need to change—the way we invite people into it does, especially by sharing great performances more widely online.

What’s the one thing in the music industry we’re not talking about, but you think we should be?

We talk a lot about exposure and platforms, but not enough about listening itself. Great music—whether classical, jazz, or anything else—reveals its depth only when we give it real attention. In a culture of constant distraction, learning how to listen may be more important than ever.

What next – where would you like to be in 10 years?

In ten years, I hope to have continued deepening the music and bringing it to a wider audience, while remaining true to the spirit of exploration and real-time creation that drives it.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Perfect happiness is living with health and purpose, surrounded by people I care about, and using whatever abilities I have in ways that create meaning for others.

What is your most treasured possession?

I could list more but these 3 in particular:

Time

Curiosity

My ability to sit at the piano and create something that has never existed before.

What do you enjoy doing most?

I enjoy exploring things deeply—music, ideas, travel, nature, even a good chess game.

What is your present state of mind?

Curious, energetic, and increasingly philosophical – focused on creation, relationships, and letting go of what no longer serves.

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