With the prospects of hearing some of Angelo Gilardino's music, I was quite excited to get Marco de Santi's self titled CD. Brimming with seminal pieces of the XXth century along with some XIXth pieces this CD is a must for those who concern themselves with owning the works of the masters of both periods played in breathtaking performances.

Every now and then you come across this type of performer, last issue it was Flavio Cucchi, that brings new pieces to your attention and plays familar material as if they were new pieces. Marco de Santi is one of these performers. As a composer I am so glad to know him.

As I am a admirer of the new music of composers like Angelo Gilardino and Alvaro Company I am especially happy that Marco has chosen to include Mr. Gilardino's music on this CD.

Marco performs five of Gilardino's pieces, four of which are from his ground breaking series "Studi di virtuosita e di transcendenza" which contain 64 of the most interesting, mind altering and profound studies that a composer of guitar music or a performer can encounter. The title Angelo Gilardino has chosen for this collection is to the point of these pieces. The last piece of Gilardino's on the CD is dedicated to Marco himself entitled "Ocram (Fantasia)".

Gilardino's "Omaggio a Serge Prokofiev", after a slow and lyrical introduction, is a example of the workout that this collection contains. The workout is for the right hand and it is rigorous in that the support part is faster than the upper voice and the trick is to divide the hand cleanly into different functions. Marco is fully capable. The right hand workout is nested nicely between two lyrical sections that are meditative.

The next of Gilardino's pieces "El Rosario (Omaggio a Manuel de Falla)" dances with a feeling not unlike a Spanish dance with a delicate slurred figure dancing over an inner voice motive that is underpinned with a bass note. This balance gets played with, added to and subtracted from and again this idea is nested between lyrical passages of slow majesty. Again Marco is fully capable of moving the music around in the sublime.

Eligia di marzo (Omaggio a Juan Ramon Jimenez) Is cut from the same type of harmonic material as the one above. It doesn't mask it's affinity with a Spanish precedent.

Also impressive are the performances of the, by now, well worn pieces by Astor Piazzolla. "Adios Nonino" starts the CD off is performed with great respect to the real feel of the music which is not to play it too fast. This is dance music not music to show guitaristic technique although the playing is superb. "La milonga del Angel" and " Verano porteno" in arrangements by Baitazar Benitez are next and also performed with a loving respect to the soul of the music.

Marco gives an impressive performance of Alberto Ginastera's Sonata op.47 given his affinity with Gilardino's music it is no wonder.

Marco de Santi is one of those guitarists that needs to have more attention. He needs to be on the minds of students and professionals alike as an excellent example of the state of the art of the guitar in both technique and originality of expression. I truly hope to hear him in person.

L.C. - How did you come to the guitar and who were your early influences?

M.d.S - I was 10 years old and I asked to my father to buy me a guitar. I do not know the reason of my desire but one evening my father came back home with a guitar. I was incredibly happy and my father told to me" Now you have to go to somebody able to teach you how to use that instrument!". I was born in Brescia, a 200,000 city 100Km far from Milano, but I always lived in a small village named Lonato. It is a very old and nice village on the Garda Lake hills.

There my father found a teacher. His name was Fausto Bettelli and he represented the first great light on my musical trip. Fausto Bettelli was not what you could call a professor; he did not know correct technique and also his musical preparation was not so special. But his love for the guitar was so great and his talent to understand the Art and Music deepest meaning was so strong that he made me love this instrument. He began immediately to get me to play little concerts, just playing one short and easy waltz or studio; in this way I learned very simply and naturally how to stay in front of people and step by step I began to love it.

After two or three years I began to participate in guitar competitions; in one of these competitions I met Angelo Gilardino. He was very young and I was incredibly afraid of him because some friend told me he was very serious. I had a first prize and my father had the idea to ask Angelo to give me some lessons. You have to imagine that Vercelli, the city where Angelo lives is 200 Km far from Lonato; I never understood how my father had this "enlightening idea" but it opened a new season in my life.

Angelo was the only one true professor of my life and Iimmediately felt an endless admiration for him. He not only taught me music, but like Fausto did introduced me to the painting Art first. Angelo taught me about literature and poetry and he helped me to create a new dimension in my mind. I could write down many pages about these two experiences; they developed day by day more than 15 years of my life and the memory of Fausto who died because of a cancer some years ago, and the friendship with Angelo, follows to give me energy for watching to my future. They sigified the greatest influences for creating my feeling with the guitar; after that off course the friendship with Astor Piazzolla, to play with him and some other musical experience gave me something more, but Fausto Bettelli gave me the passion and Angelo Gilardino taught me how make it to grow up and how to voice it with the correct language.

I learned that I can speak with people through my guitar. My sadness, my joy, my feelings, I can tell people my own story and they listen with interest to what I do. It is like to reach a place in which the time does not exists and where you feel the beautiful sensation they love you, not because you are great, but just because of what you are.

Angelo tried to teach me how to be the master of this desire; I play compositions written by others composers and I need to know, to respect and to satisfy "their" desire. The guitar is an instrument to express something alive that somebody put in the score; the guitar gave me the possibility to open the cage and to feel that "life" inside me.

Through the guitar I finally can make this "life" reach people. In those moments I feel the guitar like a part of my body. This happens especially when I play music by Piazzolla, Angelo's modern music and also with some pieces written by XIX Century composers.

L.C. - Tell me about the programming of your EMI CD.

M.d.S - When I had opportunity to make a CD for EMI I decided to play only these kinds of pieces. Astor Piazzolla..... I began to like his music when I was 12 years old. The experience to play with him was one of the most remarkable of my musical career. When I play his music I do not need to decide what to do, I just breaths with sensuality, that sadness of his Tango.

I met Alberto Ginastera in Gineva during the International Competition. He wrote on his Sonata score a beautiful dedication to me; his composition is a masterpiece of energy, physical and natural power and gave me the way to scream with my fingers.

I've played pieces Paganini and Legnani from many years; they give me the chance to play a game with myself. The technique is a fundamental part in many of them but I can see a top to reach through my technique where I can make their melodic, cantabile and romantic flavour to come out.

Angelo Gilardino dedicated to me many pieces. I decided to play in my CD a fantasy that has my name, just written in the opposite way "Ocram". I played many of Angelo's pieces; more than 20 of his studies, the first sonata, Tenebrae factae sunt, Variazioni sulla Follia...... He composed some of these composition like a dress for my fingers and my character.
I think Angelo one of the greatest guitar composer of our time: he developed an incredible capacity to join, cross and mix structures of sound, timbers and dynamic; he opened never before seen panoramas of the guitar's possibilities and some of his pieces are a masterpieces of the guitar, intelligent and technical.

For my taste I especially like pieces in which he imparts his very deep and special lyricism. I find that they go directly to my soul, and this is something that when I am playing those compositions I am sure people understand perfectly.

L.C. - Tell me about your perception of audiences.

M.d.S - Telling the truth I have to take a moment and try to remember the audiences I found in Europe, Asia and The USA..... I do not think there are many differences from one and the other. Obviously the difference in made by the social and cultural situation that people are living in. But the problem it is always the same; if you don't have something to say than they will try to beat you in every situation!

L.C. - So Marco, what was your relationship with Astor Piazzolla?

M.d.S. - I had the occasion to know Astor Piazzolla because on my first LP I recorded his Cinco Piezas; Fabio Boccosi of Berben Editions sended him a copy of my disk. He liked very much my interpretation of his compositions and he decided to write to me inviting me to meet him in Milano before one of his concert. After that I had some occasions to play concerts with Astor and in those situations I had opportunity to work with him is music. He used to say to me " You play like an Argentinian musician!" and before the last concert we played together he asked to me to play very free the introduction to his Double concerto for Bandoneon, Guitar and Orchestra. I played like an improvisation on the base of the written score just following the sensations he was asking me to give. Following Astor suggestions, speaking with him about his music, listening to him tell many musical stories of his incredible experience I learned many things. I was very lucky to have the chance to know him, that make me to feel confortable and sure when I arrange some piece by Astor for a different instrumental version because I try to put the soul of his music in it like he taught me. I will send to you a copy of some dedication he wrote to me; I do not have good picture with him but I have many dedications he wrote to me after the concerts on the score, and I have a little wood Angel he and Laura, his second wife, gifted to me after the last concert we played together in Vicenza. That Angel means to me very much; is the Angel Astor get life in his Milongas, like a part of his musical soul.

L.C. - How about with Angelo Gilardino?

M.d.S - With Angelo's music it was a different story. When I began to study with Angelo I was 16 years old and it was for me a great joy when he decided to dedicate a piece to me; I was incredibly honoured and excited. Angelo wrote those pieces like a dress to fit perfectly my technique and my temperament and my relationship with them was and still it is fantastic. It was for me very easy and direct to play in concert that music; is was like to show myself in front of people. This happens with many pieces Angelo wrote during the long period I was studying with him and living in Vercelli, the city where he used to live. Later, I followed to study and performing Angelo's music, that the great search of sound, mechanics, timber and structures he does make it one of the most imporant in the guitar music of this century. His influence was always very strong, and I never played one of is pieces without to let him listen to my interpretation of it.

I have for Angelo a great admiration, for his human power first and then for his cultural knowledge , but when I play for him I still follow to feel him like my great "Maestro".

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