A Q&A with RIOPY
Composer-pianist, Portugal-based…
What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
My next album is called THRIVE. To me, ‘thrive’ means the inner strength that pushes us to fight in moments of doubt or sorrow – the impulse to search for the best, to fight to overcome difficulties and reach our own fulfilment. It is a strength that allows you to evolve and grow. As humans, we are not meant to merely survive; we are meant to thrive.
What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
It was a joy to put this album together. We had a technical ambition which required a perfect osmosis between me and the orchestra, which implies a lot of preparation. But, once everything falls into place, it’s magical. It’s for moments like that which remind me why I live for my music.
Who produced the release – what did they bring to it?
Roberto Borzoni produced the release. He’s fantastic, he completely understands me and my vision. I am extremely grateful to him and the team at Warner Classics for helping me to bring my music to the world of strings for the first time. They’ve helped to enrich the vibrations of my piano with entirely new frequencies and sounds.
What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
I hope that my music will accompany and inspire my listeners to find their own way of life. I hope it can act as a reminder that there is always hope. We all have the power to transform difficulty into opportunity. Music saved my life; I hope that I can use it to help others as well.
How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
I have listened to classical music since I was a child. I always used to imagine extensions of the melodies in my head, expanding them into my own interpretation. I returned to this process for this album. One day, I was playing Satie’s famous Gymnopedie, and let my imagination take it forward. From this initial seed, the album THRIVE was born.
What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
This project is a tribute to the greatest classical composers who have inspired me and my music. This album features my interpretations of works by Satie, Pachelbel, Beethoven, Fauré, Debussy and Chopin. These reinterpreted melodies are a metaphor to show that everything can evolve.
What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
I would love to go to Japan some day. And my dream would be to play the Royal Albert Hall or Carnegie Hall.
If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
‘Nocturne’, my newest single, marks the start of a new chapter for me. It is the first track I have released which features strings, and the first manifestation of this new sound world I have created.
What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
I simply want to keep making music and sharing it with the world. Performing to live audiences is the most important thing to me. I just want to keep doing that as much as possible, and connect to people all over the world through music.
Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Thank you for listening – I love you.
For more info visit: riopymusic.com
