Fabrizio Paterlini

Autumn Stories is refreshing to the ears, revealing itself to have the dignified beauty that can survive all criticism and make us long for those rare moments when each one of us had the opportunity to witness that beauty in our own lives (and perhaps realize for the first time how valuable those moments are to us). Along with the piano he uses string and other instruments, that certainly add some flavor and variety to the recordings, but it is the soul of the pianist that truly shines throughout the album. - A closer listen

With this inviting and liberating approach, Einaudi has turned into an inspiration for a new generation of artists discovering classical music as a beacon of constancy and continuity in a time of continuous change. Fabrizio Paterlini certainly takes no issue if people see parallels between his work and that of the Turin-born composer: „His works surely were an inspiration at first, I spent a lot of time studying and playing his music some years ago. Sometimes, my music is compared to his - especially my first album, Viaggi in aeromobile. But this is far from being annoying, as Einaudi’s music is certainly a peak of excellence in our category.“ Still today, the elegance, grace and fluidity of his compositions reveal a shared sense of aesthetics, of regarding a lightness of touch as perfectly reconcilable with profundity of emotion and depth. And yet, on Fragments Found, his third full-length after, among others, an experimental EP and a collection of remixes, Paterlini has decidedly outgrown the comparisons: His harmonies are more lush, his compositions more concise than ever, his sound entirely focused on the cool, crystalline timbre of his Piano, amalgamating music from at least two centuries: With their weightless, ethereal quality, Paterlini's compositions constantly border Ambient – an impression further reinforced by his ingenious use of the pedal, which, as he put it himself, doesn't just add sustain to his notes, but actually envelopes the entire composition in a soft cloud of space; their rich harmonic language firmly roots them in the vocabulary of the Impressionists; the sparsity of the one-man-and-his-instrument-setting hints at the conventions of classical music recitals. And yet, they are none of the above, but always all at the same time.

This inner complexity, which notably contrasts the surfatial calm and purity of his pieces, may also explain why Paterlini's public profile is still relatively low-key. Rather than spelling things out in full, he is hinting at them. Instead of answering questions, he is posing new ones. And far from merely pleasing his audience, he intends to take them on a journey, even on an ephemeral two-minute miniature. The challenging aspects of his style have however somewhat obscured the fact that Paterlini is blessed with of the most natural and effortless talents for melody on the scene. His script is far more poetic than that of many of his colleagues, who have reverted to a sort of consciously unsensual style for fear of coming across as shallow and trivial. The reason why Paterlini is capable of avoiding these pitfalls while nonetheless working firmly within the realms of traditional tonality, lies in the seemingly simple but factually unique gift of playing exactly the right note at exactly the right time. At some of the most memorable moments on Fragments Found, a line will suddenly, out of the blue, jump up an octave, piercing one's heart where it hurts the most.

With these heartwrenching surprises constantly hiding around the bend, he can even sustain the tension on a piece like closer „Still Travelling“, which, on paper, just keeps on circling around the same chords for four minutes. On other occasions, meanwhile, Paterlini shows himself a master at building extended arches as a demonstrative counterpoint to the minimalist ideal – such as on „Controvento, senz'olio“, which features the kind of neverending melody someone like Wagner might have dreamt of. With ten tracks of dreamy piano without any accompaniment, one might be inclined to expect this to be a rather lulling affair. The contrary is true, however, as the album rips through the corridors of a mind ornamented with exactly the kind of scenes, images and stories the titles, dealing with „frozen lakes“ or „The giant and the ballerina“ are alluding to. Paterlini has mentioned that he does intend to force electronics on his arrangements, but to wait for them to suggest themselves in a natural way. And why should he? As Fragments Found proves, there is plenty of potential in this pure approach yet. - Tobias Fischer

With this inviting and liberating approach, Einaudi has turned into an inspiration for a new generation of artists discovering classical music as a beacon of constancy and continuity in a time of continuous change. Fabrizio Paterlini certainly takes no issue if people see parallels between his work and that of the Turin-born composer: „His works surely were an inspiration at first, I spent a lot of time studying and playing his music some years ago. Sometimes, my music is compared to his - especially my first album, Viaggi in aeromobile. But this is far from being annoying, as Einaudi’s music is certainly a peak of excellence in our category.“ Still today, the elegance, grace and fluidity of his compositions reveal a shared sense of aesthetics, of regarding a lightness of touch as perfectly reconcilable with profundity of emotion and depth. And yet, on Fragments Found, his third full-length after, among others, an experimental EP and a collection of remixes, Paterlini has decidedly outgrown the comparisons: His harmonies are more lush, his compositions more concise than ever, his sound entirely focused on the cool, crystalline timbre of his Piano, amalgamating music from at least two centuries: With their weightless, ethereal quality, Paterlini's compositions constantly border Ambient – an impression further reinforced by his ingenious use of the pedal, which, as he put it himself, doesn't just add sustain to his notes, but actually envelopes the entire composition in a soft cloud of space; their rich harmonic language firmly roots them in the vocabulary of the Impressionists; the sparsity of the one-man-and-his-instrument-setting hints at the conventions of classical music recitals. And yet, they are none of the above, but always all at the same time.

This inner complexity, which notably contrasts the surfatial calm and purity of his pieces, may also explain why Paterlini's public profile is still relatively low-key. Rather than spelling things out in full, he is hinting at them. Instead of answering questions, he is posing new ones. And far from merely pleasing his audience, he intends to take them on a journey, even on an ephemeral two-minute miniature. The challenging aspects of his style have however somewhat obscured the fact that Paterlini is blessed with of the most natural and effortless talents for melody on the scene. His script is far more poetic than that of many of his colleagues, who have reverted to a sort of consciously unsensual style for fear of coming across as shallow and trivial. The reason why Paterlini is capable of avoiding these pitfalls while nonetheless working firmly within the realms of traditional tonality, lies in the seemingly simple but factually unique gift of playing exactly the right note at exactly the right time. At some of the most memorable moments on Fragments Found, a line will suddenly, out of the blue, jump up an octave, piercing one's heart where it hurts the most.

With these heartwrenching surprises constantly hiding around the bend, he can even sustain the tension on a piece like closer „Still Travelling“, which, on paper, just keeps on circling around the same chords for four minutes. On other occasions, meanwhile, Paterlini shows himself a master at building extended arches as a demonstrative counterpoint to the minimalist ideal – such as on „Controvento, senz'olio“, which features the kind of neverending melody someone like Wagner might have dreamt of. With ten tracks of dreamy piano without any accompaniment, one might be inclined to expect this to be a rather lulling affair. The contrary is true, however, as the album rips through the corridors of a mind ornamented with exactly the kind of scenes, images and stories the titles, dealing with „frozen lakes“ or „The giant and the ballerina“ are alluding to. Paterlini has mentioned that he does intend to force electronics on his arrangements, but to wait for them to suggest themselves in a natural way. And why should he? As Fragments Found proves, there is plenty of potential in this pure approach yet. - Tobias Fischer

Viandanze is a stunning solo piano release from Italian pianist/composer Fabrizio Paterlini. Soft-spoken yet very deep and passionate, this is music that travels instantly from the ears to the heart. Reflective and somewhat melancholy, the thirteen pieces create a quiet atmosphere for other activities, but are too beautiful to keep in the background. Peaceful and uncluttered, Paterlini gets his message across with a minimum number of notes and an abundance of soulful emotion. He describes his music as “a glass of red wine on a summer evening.” I might add rich, soothing, and relaxing. This is a truly exceptional album and a very likely candidate for my Favorites List for 2010.


Viandanze begins with “Profondo blu” (“Deep Blue”), a very quiet piece that conveys feelings of yearning and hope. The steady repetition of a single note on the left hand suggests a heartbeat or pulse while the gentle melody tells an uncomplicated story - a great start! “Nuovi orizzonti” (“New Horizons”) picks up the tempo a bit, giving the piece a gentle energy and a sense of moving forward. “Esoterica virtu” is very slow and dark, and reminds me a bit of Erik Satie (as do other pieces on the album). “Primi Passi” (“First Steps”) is one of my favorites. Paterlini is the father of a young son, and I interpret this piece as the joy of seeing one’s small child starting to get around on his own, tempered by questions of what the future holds - an amazing piece! The title track is very understated and almost mournful, conveying the feeling of an intimate (and perhaps painful) conversation with someone close - an emotional powerhouse! “Sottovoce” has a subdued yet sparkling quality that moves with the grace of a slow, evocative dance. “In cerchio” (“Circle”) is a waltz of sorts that expresses longing, deep reflection, and perhaps a touch of regret. It’s another beauty! “Veloma” (“Goodbye”) is also a favorite. Heartfelt sadness pours out of the music, touching the listener in a profound way. “Qui ed ora” (“Here and Now”) closes the album with a simple, gentle melody accompanied by accented notes in the deep bass of the piano, creating a mood of peaceful reflection.


Viandanze is an amazing album! The moods created with a minimal number of notes convey passions and emotions that would take volumes of words to express. Fabrizio Paterlini is an artist on a par with Ludovico Einaudi and David Lanz, and my hope is that the world is ready to embrace his music. Viandanze is available for download from fabriziopaterlinirecords.com, Amazon, CD Baby, and iTunes. Very highly recommended! - Kathy Parsons

Viandanze is a stunning solo piano release from Italian pianist/composer Fabrizio Paterlini. Soft-spoken yet very deep and passionate, this is music that travels instantly from the ears to the heart. Reflective and somewhat melancholy, the thirteen pieces create a quiet atmosphere for other activities, but are too beautiful to keep in the background. Peaceful and uncluttered, Paterlini gets his message across with a minimum number of notes and an abundance of soulful emotion. He describes his music as “a glass of red wine on a summer evening.” I might add rich, soothing, and relaxing. This is a truly exceptional album and a very likely candidate for my Favorites List for 2010.


Viandanze begins with “Profondo blu” (“Deep Blue”), a very quiet piece that conveys feelings of yearning and hope. The steady repetition of a single note on the left hand suggests a heartbeat or pulse while the gentle melody tells an uncomplicated story - a great start! “Nuovi orizzonti” (“New Horizons”) picks up the tempo a bit, giving the piece a gentle energy and a sense of moving forward. “Esoterica virtu” is very slow and dark, and reminds me a bit of Erik Satie (as do other pieces on the album). “Primi Passi” (“First Steps”) is one of my favorites. Paterlini is the father of a young son, and I interpret this piece as the joy of seeing one’s small child starting to get around on his own, tempered by questions of what the future holds - an amazing piece! The title track is very understated and almost mournful, conveying the feeling of an intimate (and perhaps painful) conversation with someone close - an emotional powerhouse! “Sottovoce” has a subdued yet sparkling quality that moves with the grace of a slow, evocative dance. “In cerchio” (“Circle”) is a waltz of sorts that expresses longing, deep reflection, and perhaps a touch of regret. It’s another beauty! “Veloma” (“Goodbye”) is also a favorite. Heartfelt sadness pours out of the music, touching the listener in a profound way. “Qui ed ora” (“Here and Now”) closes the album with a simple, gentle melody accompanied by accented notes in the deep bass of the piano, creating a mood of peaceful reflection.


Viandanze is an amazing album! The moods created with a minimal number of notes convey passions and emotions that would take volumes of words to express. Fabrizio Paterlini is an artist on a par with Ludovico Einaudi and David Lanz, and my hope is that the world is ready to embrace his music. Viandanze is available for download from fabriziopaterlinirecords.com, Amazon, CD Baby, and iTunes. Very highly recommended! - Kathy Parsons

Until now, my only experience of the Italian city of Mantua is as the place of Romeo’s exile in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and such in my mind’s eye it has always looked uninviting, tense and had a sense of looming inevitability – even the name of the city is derived from Mantus, an Etruscan god of the underworld. Of course, if I was ever to visit, I’m sure I would find it a vibrant, exciting – or at the very least – degage place.

Given my preconceptions about his home, I was interested to hear Fabrizio Paterlini’s recent album Fragments Found and discovered to my delight that these 10 tracks of solo piano fit nicely across both points of view.

First a little history. Paterlini is Italian born and began playing piano at the age of 6 years old and spent many years learning his craft as a classical musician. Like many other classical musicians, his formative years found him flirting with prog, hard-rock and jazz before finally returning to a modern style of classical music at the tail end of the last century. His debut was released in 2007 and he followed it with an e.p. in 2008. His latest album comes hard on the heels of a album of remixes of earlier work released in 2009 and what a follow-up it is.

Fragments Found is a beautifully structured and intricately balanced collection of piano pieces that seems to owe as much to German Composer Nils Frahm and the Austrian, Franz Schubert as it does to the oft-compared Einaudi and Satie. On first listen, Paterlini’s touch and tone is immediately apparent and his restraint is as impressive as his understanding of when to move forward.

Album opener Girasoli e Lavanda provides the album an immediate tone of reflection and on this track Paterlini uses space and the sustain pedal to create a truly beautiful ambience that stretches across the piece. Frozen River (Part ii) uses a pedal note of D to maintain a delicate tension as the melody leads us to the track’s climax of a dramatic arpeggio.

The title track of the album, Fragments Found uses a similar structure, this time building a soft, understated melody towards a torrent of notes at its end. Pensiero notturno is quiet and tentative like footsteps climbing stairs at midnight and the melody suggests despair. Il Gigante e la balena is the most romantic of the collection and while certainly pretty, it feels overly sentimental compared to the darker pieces and it feels a little out of place.

Five-Thirty am is as fragile as the track title suggests it may be but is enduringly hopeful and beautiful. Déjà Vu’s slow walk through a heavy atmosphere feels sombre but not heavy and Rue des Trois Frères, while being the shortest track on the record is arguably the most lovely with its brisk waltz it is reminiscent of Yann Tiersen’s score for Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain.

In Controvento, senz’olio, Paterlini carries the piece with the bass line while using sparing melodic phrases to push it forward and the effect is stunning. The final track of the album, Still Travelling, pivots around a gorgeous melodic motif that is used over and again across the piece evoking a myriad of emotions before slowly fading out – an effect that gives the impression the music will continue, inaudibly, on to infinity.

All in all Fragments Found is a graceful and emotive collection of piano pieces and, from this reviewer at least, is highly recommended. And of course, Mantua now evokes an altogether different image in my mind. - Lionel Mint for Fluid Radio

Until now, my only experience of the Italian city of Mantua is as the place of Romeo’s exile in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and such in my mind’s eye it has always looked uninviting, tense and had a sense of looming inevitability – even the name of the city is derived from Mantus, an Etruscan god of the underworld. Of course, if I was ever to visit, I’m sure I would find it a vibrant, exciting – or at the very least – degage place.

Given my preconceptions about his home, I was interested to hear Fabrizio Paterlini’s recent album Fragments Found and discovered to my delight that these 10 tracks of solo piano fit nicely across both points of view.

First a little history. Paterlini is Italian born and began playing piano at the age of 6 years old and spent many years learning his craft as a classical musician. Like many other classical musicians, his formative years found him flirting with prog, hard-rock and jazz before finally returning to a modern style of classical music at the tail end of the last century. His debut was released in 2007 and he followed it with an e.p. in 2008. His latest album comes hard on the heels of a album of remixes of earlier work released in 2009 and what a follow-up it is.

Fragments Found is a beautifully structured and intricately balanced collection of piano pieces that seems to owe as much to German Composer Nils Frahm and the Austrian, Franz Schubert as it does to the oft-compared Einaudi and Satie. On first listen, Paterlini’s touch and tone is immediately apparent and his restraint is as impressive as his understanding of when to move forward.

Album opener Girasoli e Lavanda provides the album an immediate tone of reflection and on this track Paterlini uses space and the sustain pedal to create a truly beautiful ambience that stretches across the piece. Frozen River (Part ii) uses a pedal note of D to maintain a delicate tension as the melody leads us to the track’s climax of a dramatic arpeggio.

The title track of the album, Fragments Found uses a similar structure, this time building a soft, understated melody towards a torrent of notes at its end. Pensiero notturno is quiet and tentative like footsteps climbing stairs at midnight and the melody suggests despair. Il Gigante e la balena is the most romantic of the collection and while certainly pretty, it feels overly sentimental compared to the darker pieces and it feels a little out of place.

Five-Thirty am is as fragile as the track title suggests it may be but is enduringly hopeful and beautiful. Déjà Vu’s slow walk through a heavy atmosphere feels sombre but not heavy and Rue des Trois Frères, while being the shortest track on the record is arguably the most lovely with its brisk waltz it is reminiscent of Yann Tiersen’s score for Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain.

In Controvento, senz’olio, Paterlini carries the piece with the bass line while using sparing melodic phrases to push it forward and the effect is stunning. The final track of the album, Still Travelling, pivots around a gorgeous melodic motif that is used over and again across the piece evoking a myriad of emotions before slowly fading out – an effect that gives the impression the music will continue, inaudibly, on to infinity.

All in all Fragments Found is a graceful and emotive collection of piano pieces and, from this reviewer at least, is highly recommended. And of course, Mantua now evokes an altogether different image in my mind. - Lionel Mint for Fluid Radio

Sometimes the simplest melodies awaken the most evocative of emotions… Listening to neo-classical piano compositions by Fabrizio Paterlini is like being cradled in the depths of nostalgia, holding back the eyes from tearing. It all depends on the current state of mind. And if you are already vulnerable, Paterlini will take you just a bit further. His ten piano pieces, originally recorded and left undisturbed for years, tell a story with a soundtrack to your life. Born in Manuta, Italy, Fabrizio has been playing piano since the age of 6. “When I sit in front of my piano and start playing, melodies come to find me and I immediately record them…” And it feels like some of these pieces are fragments of familiar melodies, heard in movies of your childhood, or perhaps in lullabies of your past. It is not until the second or third rotation of this album, that you realize that the beauty within, is not to be without. Pick up this disk directly from Paterlini or download a digital edition. While you’re there, don’t forget to grab his 2009 Viandanze, available as a download along with sheet music [something I've been begging other musicians to do!]. Fans of Library Tapes, Max Richter, Hauschka, Peter Broderick and Nils Frahm will absolutely enjoy! Really liked this, and I’m sure that you will too! - Headphone Commute

Sometimes the simplest melodies awaken the most evocative of emotions… Listening to neo-classical piano compositions by Fabrizio Paterlini is like being cradled in the depths of nostalgia, holding back the eyes from tearing. It all depends on the current state of mind. And if you are already vulnerable, Paterlini will take you just a bit further. His ten piano pieces, originally recorded and left undisturbed for years, tell a story with a soundtrack to your life. Born in Manuta, Italy, Fabrizio has been playing piano since the age of 6. “When I sit in front of my piano and start playing, melodies come to find me and I immediately record them…” And it feels like some of these pieces are fragments of familiar melodies, heard in movies of your childhood, or perhaps in lullabies of your past. It is not until the second or third rotation of this album, that you realize that the beauty within, is not to be without. Pick up this disk directly from Paterlini or download a digital edition. While you’re there, don’t forget to grab his 2009 Viandanze, available as a download along with sheet music [something I've been begging other musicians to do!]. Fans of Library Tapes, Max Richter, Hauschka, Peter Broderick and Nils Frahm will absolutely enjoy! Really liked this, and I’m sure that you will too! - Headphone Commute