"What would Luciano do?"
An interview with Michele dall'Ongaro, President of Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, after the conclusion of the 2023 Luciano Berio International Composition Competition
WFIMC: 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Luciano Berio- a good time to revisit his work and reflect on his ideas. What makes this great composer of the last century relevant today?
Michele dall´Ongaro: I would mention the most relevant elements: a) inclusiveness: a plural music, that looks at different worlds that often coexist, as in Mahler, agreeing, challenging and facing each other through an ever-changing dialectic that multiplies possible meanings by expanding gaze and vision; b) complexity, which is the hallmark of the contemporary but which is also the opposite of complication: the old alarm clock on the bedside table is a very complex object that returns to the eyes of the beholder a very clear result, like his music, with its clear management of the multiple; c) physicality: in a world where the body is less and less the protagonist and it is replaced by the virtual, by kinetics, by artificial intelligence, Berio's music, with the use of the voice and of the instruments, restores a very physical dimension, almost feral, which involves both the interpreter and the listener.
Michele dall´Ongaro
Dall´Ongaro with Winner Enrico Scaccaglia and Jury of the 2023 Berio Competition
When talking about the competition, you said „Luciano Berio would have aimed for the top, he would have tried the best composition contest in the world…“. This year´s competition offers a formidable opportunity for the winner. Looking back at the first edition of your competition, how has it changed, and how do you make sure you present „the best composition contest in the world“?
Often, when I think how to approach a problem, I find myself wondering: "What would Luciano do?" I don't know if, thinking about a composition contest, he would have made the same choices, but, with him in mind, we have shared this project from the very beginning with Talia Berio and her family, who have allowed us to use Berio’s name and have collaborated with us throughout the elaboration and realization of the competition. The idea is to create a strong connection between the new works written by the winners and Berio’s musical experience; this will be done by reproposing some of his important works (this year it will be Sinfonia) and by organizing a series of Study Days (curated by the Berio Archive) around themes that were closely associated to his figure and his areas of interest. As for the competition, the pursuit of high quality, beyond the significant entity of the award with the cash prize and 6 guaranteed performances of the new piece, is also given by the prestige of the members of the international Jury; the presence of our Music Director Antonio Pappano; the support of SIAE; the partnership with Universal Edition and other important orchestras (RAI, Filarmonica della Scala, Teatro Carlo Felice) as well as, of course, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra that will perform the world premiere. For the future editions we are considering the possibility of expanding the partnership to other international orchestras in order to increase the number of guaranteed performances and give the winner the opportunity to reach an ever-wider audience.
Does your jury work solely with scores or do they also use recordings of the works they are evaluating?
We have not used recordings so far, but, on the advice of some jurors, we are considering doing so starting from the next edition.
In composition competition more than in other competitions, jurors can have very different opinions on a certain score. Was it easy for this year´s jury to agree on the winner? In terms of ranking, how close are the two „honorable mention“ candidates to the winner?
As a matter of facts, the discussion among jurors is a most interesting part. It was an open and honest exchange throughout, a tight and at times conflicting dialogue, but always shared to the detail. The high value and skills of our jurors have managed to bring out of the examined scores the most interesting and original elements, even in moments of dissent, always in search of talent and that special "quid" that makes the difference (or at least promises it!). This year, the winner competed with others for the first place right up to the end and the value of the “honourable mentions” left with some regret that the regulation did not provide any ex-aequo or second prizes…
When will we be able to listen to the winner Enrico Scaccaglia´s commission? And who will conduct the work?
The world premiere will be performed by the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in the 2024-2025 Symphonic Season; the date and the conductor will be announced soon.
©WFIMC 2023
Born in Rome in 1957, Michele dall´Ongaro studied at the Rome Conservatory, furthering his studies in composition with a PhD with Aldo Clementi, and in conducting with Franco Ferrara. In 1975 he co-founded “Spettro sonoro”, an ensemble dedicated to contemporary music. In 1979, they were first to perform the complete musical compositions of Friedrich Nietzsche.
As a pianist, he has collaborated with the Rai Symphony Orchestra in Rome, and with the Orchestra of the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, and taught in several Italian Conservatories for more than twenty years.
From 1985 Dal’Ongaro started a 30-year collaboration with Rai Radio, becoming Rai 3’s Controller of programming between 2000 and 2015, and from 2008 becoming the Director General of Rai National Symphony Orchestra.
Active both as musicologist and composer, he has been Professor on 20th-century music at the Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli since January 2021.
