International Composer Festival – Part 1

The third in the series of the International Composers Festival, under the artistic direction of maestro Polo Piatti, takes place in Hastings and Bexhill on Sea this year. With an exciting range of musicians and composers coming from over 50 countries, this year’s festival promises to bring more melodic music to engage audiences.
In the words of the artistic director, maestro Polo Piatti

For many years now, a strong trend has developed towards the intellectualisation of music. While I recognise and appreciate the importance of progression in classical music it is equally important that music remains accessible to all. Music should be enjoyable, all-inclusive and the possession of everyone. By creating the Composer’s Festival all I want to maximise that inclusiveness and showcase and promote the works of new as well as of established composers that are committed to bring back feelings into classical music. I want to encourage new music that has a deep effect on human emotions by touching people’s hearts, music that evokes and champions genuine beauty, goodness and truthfulness. I am not interested in promoting more “clever” and experimental classical music that seeks to make audiences “think”. On the contrary, I want to help composers that create music that aspires to make audiences feel!

This year the composer in residence is Ash Madni. The following is Ash’s personal opinion and does not represent the opinion of the International Composers Festival and all its associates

I believe the process of listening to music involves a significant amount of brain activity. The listener is able to discern the difference between two notes and resolve that and predict what’s coming next, which also has a strong effect on the listener’s mood. The ultimate goal of the music is to affect the mood of the listener to such an extent, that the listener is transported from the auditorium to a place uniquely of their own making. A place where there is no pain, only blissful peace. When the notes fade away, the listener returns to the real world but takes away an experience we hope remains with them a long time.  As maestro Piatti says . “I want to encourage new music that has a deep effect on human emotions by touching people’s hearts, music that evokes and champions genuine beauty, goodness and truthfulness”