Matteo Sommacal

Matteo Sommacal
Background information
Birth name	Matteo Sommacal
Born	November 18, 1977 (1977-11-18) (age 33)
Origin	Roma, Italy
Genres	classical
Occupations	Composer, Mathematical physicist
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Centaur Records

Matteo Sommacal, born November 18, 1977 in Roma (Italy), is an Italian composer and mathematical physicist.

As a composer, he has been active since 2000 writing concert and film music. Since late 2000, he has been serving as the artistic director of the Italian chamber ensemble Piccola Accademia degli Specchi, that premiered and recorded several of his compositions.^[1] As a scientist, his main research is in the fied of nonlinear evolution equations and in studies dealing with the onset of chaotic behaviors in dynamical systems.

Music

He was introduced as a child to ancient music and recorder which later on inspired him to pursue extensive research of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, through the guidance of Gabriella Casularo, Marcos Volonterio (Conservatoire Populaire de Musique, Geneve, CH), John Tyson (New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, USA) and Stefano Bragetti (Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, CH). After a brief period performing recorder,^[2] in 1997 he met Carmelo Piccolo, professor at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini". This meeting was a turning point for his musical career: through Piccolo, he discovered the freedom and beauty of the language of modern music and began focussing his studies in composition and piano. A mathematician as well, he was ultimately attracted to the disciplined,^[3] highly structured and near scientific treatment of the musical material typical of many minimalist and postminimalist composers. In late 2000, with the pianist Giovanni Rosati and a group of young musicians devoted to contemporary music, he co-founded in Rome the ensemble Piccola Accademia degli Specchi, as a laboratory to realize his and other living composers' musical experimentation.

His works are regularly performed in Italy and major festivals dedicated to contemporary music. In September 2004, his work Quasi un tango per la neve del mattino, for soprano sax, cello and piano four-hands, was premiered at the "Festival delle Città/Estate Musicale" in Portogruaro (Venice), Italy, with Alessandro Specchi at the piano.^[4] His work Emersioni, for percussion ensemble and organ, was premiered in 2005 by the Gruppo Percussioni Trieste conducted by Fabian Perez Tedesco at the season opener of the Conservatorio di Musica "Giuseppe Tartini" in Trieste, Italy.^[5] His music was performed at the Contemporary Music Festival "Luigi Nono" in Trieste, Italy, in 2004 by the Piccola Accademia degli Specchi,^[6][7] and in 2005 by the Corale Nuovo Accordo, conducted by Andrea Mistaro.^[8] He participated in three programs of the International Contemporary Arts Festival "Postaja Topolove" (July 2004,^[9] July 2005,^[10] July 2006^[11]). His music was performed at "Cantiere Musica" (July 2008),^[12] "The September Concert" (September 2009)^[13][14] and "Nuovi Spazi Musicali" (October 2009),^[15] under the artistic direction of Ada Gentile, where Piccola Accademia degli Specchi premiered his work La ragazza che dormiva sotto il letto.^[16]

In 2009, the festival "Bagliori d'autore" commissioned him to compose a work based on the life and writings of Victor Hugo: for this commission he wrote a piece for speaker and ensemble entitled Actes et paroles, with a text elaborated by Chiara Piola Caselli after Victor Hugo's last political speech, "Sur la Revision de la Constitution", given on July 18, 1851. The piece was premiered in Rome in November 2009 by Piccola Accademia degli Specchi featuring the composer Matthias Kadar.^[17]

In addition to live performances of his music, his compositions have been featured on radio such as New Sounds on WNYC^[18][19] and Echoes^[20] on NPR.

His two works for chamber ensemble Counter Rotating In Vacuum and Le Ragioni Dimenticate were defined as "particularly enchanting" by the music critic Rob Haskins on the May/June issue of the American Record Guide.^[21] Reviewing his piano multi-hand suite Fibonacci's Piranhas, the Italian pianist and video-music artist Valeria Di Matteo wrote that it represents "a perfect example of how, in the context of minimal music, the two languages of music and science can balance and cooperate for the achievement of works of high artistic value".^[22]

He scored several documentaries and experimental short films, notably the musical short Candidamente by Ruggero Lancia (Italy 2000); the historical documentary La Resistenza nella Provincia di Roma by Michele Imperio (Italy 2006),^[23] which received the sponsorship of the Province of Rome; the documentary Macchia Madre by Simona Marziani (Italy, 2008); and the documentary A Mani Nude by Piero Pieri (Italy 2010), produced by the national broadcasting service RAI. He also scored the current European Marine Equipment Council promo video (Belgium, 2008).^[24]

Science

Matteo Sommacal earned a M.Sc. in Physics at the Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy (2002). Subsequently, he received a Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, with Francesco Calogero as advisor (2005). His scientific publications in English include 16 papers (co-authored);^[25] he co-edited a special issue of Journal of Physics A.^[26] His main research concerns: the transitions from ordered to disordered motions for dynamical systems, explained as travels on Riemann surfaces (this novel interpretation of Chaos is cited on Wolfram MathWorld Encyclopedia^[27]); the Kirchhoff elastic rod as a model for polymeric chains; the Landau-Lifshitz equation as a model for propagating magnetic droplets in ferromagnetic materials. He worked also on isochronous dynamical systems and oscillatory chemical reactions. Since 2009, he has been serving as co-chair of the organizing committee of the NEEDS International Conferences series.^[28]

Works

Orchestra

• Il circolo incantato, for unlimited amount and kinds of treble and bass instruments, with at least 6 treble instruments for each bass instrument (2004)
• Emersioni, for percussion orchestra (vibraphones, xilophones, marimbas, glockenspiels, tubular bells) and organ (2005)
• La conversione di San Paolo, for string orchestra, piano 4 hands, 2 flutes, clarinet, sax quartet and chorus (2006/2008)

Chamber

• Camera con vista sulla piscina, for piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax, flute (2000/2004)
• Il punto di Salomone, for recorder quartet (2000/2001); alt. vers. for sax quartet (2001)
• Counter rotating in vacuum, for piano 4 hands, sax quartet and 2 flutes (2000/2001); alt. vers. for piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax and flute (2002)
• Andrea, for piano 4 hands, cello, soprano sax and flute (2002)
• Nessuno ascolta il cane di ceramica, for piano, violin and flute (2002); alt. vers. for piano, soprano sax and flute (2003)
• Le ragioni dimenticate - I Movement, for piano 4 hands, cello, alto sax and piccolo (2003)
• Le ragioni dimenticate - II Movement, for piano 4 hands, cello, alto sax and flute (2003)
• In attesa del suo ritorno, for piano 4 hands, cello, violin and flute (2004/2007)
• Quasi un tango per la neve del mattino, for piano 4 hands, cello and soprano sax (2004)
• Le ragioni dimenticate - III Movement, for piano 4 hands, cello, soprano sax and flute (2009)
• La ragazza che dormiva sotto il letto, for piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax and flute (2009)
• Actes et paroles, (alt. instrumental vers.) for piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax and flute (2009)
• The sign of gathering, for piano and string quartet (2010)
• The forgotten strains, for piano and string quartet (2010)

Vocal/Choral

• La solitudine di Srecko Kosovel, for chorus, 2 clarinets (bass clarinet ad libitum) and percussions (2005)
• La coscienza di Renato Serra, for chorus (2005)
• Tellim, for recorder quartet, glockenspiel and 2 sopranos (2006)
• Lullabies, for piano 4 hands and soprano (2006/2011)
• Actes et paroles, melologue on text by C. Piola Caselli after Victor Hugo's last political speech, "Sur la Revision de la Constitution", July 18, 1851, for actor, piano 4 hands, cello, violin, soprano sax and flute (2009)
• Via Crucis - Station I (text by C. Pulsoni), for piano 4 hands, double bass, cello, violin, soprano sax, flute and chorus (2010)

Piano

• Fibonacci's piranhas, for piano 4, 5 and 6 hands (2002/2004)
• Miniatures, for piano (2007/2010)
• Exile upon Earth, for piano (2008/2010)
• In a silent crowd, for piano (2008/2010)

Solo and Duo

• Maria, for piano and flute (2002)
• L'architecture du reveil, for viola and violin (2006/2007)
• Port Said, for piano and clarinet (2008)
• Follow it blindly, for piano and cello (2010)

Film and TV music

• Candidamente, by Ruggero Lancia, Italy (2002)
• La resistenza nella provincia di Roma, by Michele Imperio, Italy (2006)
• Macchia madre, by Simona Marziani, Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara, Italy (2008)
• me: Marine Equipment, by Matteo Musso and Dario Agosta, European Marine Equipment Council, Belgium (2008)
• A mani nude, by Piero Pieri, RAI, Italy (2010)

Discography

• Candidamente, Prod: M. Sommacal, R. Lancia, M. Siccardi (IT 2002)
• MinimaMachta, Centaur Records (USA 2009)

Radio Archives Online

• Relentless Minimalism - New Sounds, Broadcast on WNYC, 93.9 FM/820 AM, New York, 28 August 2009
• Fuori Circuito - Tornando A Casa, Broadcast on Radio RAI UNO, Italian National Broadcasting, 30 October 2009
• New Music from Keyboardists - New Sounds, Broadcast on WNYC, 93.9 FM/820 AM, New York, 19 March 2010
• Relentless Minimalism - New Sounds, Broadcast on WNYC, 93.9 FM/820 AM, New York, 31 July 2010

References

1. ^ Minimamachta, Music of Philip Glass, Matteo Sommacal and Wim Meterns performed by Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
2. ^ "Molly Cara", Corriere della Sera, July 11, 2001, p. 59, Rome (IT)
3. ^ M. Nyman, Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond, Cambridge University Press, 1974
4. ^ "Fuoco Aquileiese", Corriere del Veneto, September 3, 2004, Venice (IT)
5. ^ Repertoire of the Gruppo Percussioni Trieste
6. ^ D. Bozovic, "Minimalismo riflesso dagli specchi", Il Corriere Veneto, Trieste (IT), November 8, 2004
7. ^ P. Ferialdi, "Piccola Accademia degli Specchi, minimalista", Il Piccolo, Trieste (IT), November 8, 2004
8. ^ VI Festival di musica contemporanea "Luigi Nono", concert program
9. ^ Stazione di Topolò, July 10/11, 2004, Italy
10. ^ Stazione di Topolò, July 15, 2005, Italy
11. ^ Stazione di Topolò, July 15, 2006, Italy
12. ^ Musica e Arte, Cantiere Musica, VI Edition, 2008, Italy
13. ^ Casa del Jazz, The September Concert 2009, Rome, Italy
14. ^ F. Zampa, "Doppio concerto alla Casa del Jazz", Il Messaggero, Rome (IT), September 11, 2009
15. ^ Ada Gentile, Nuovi Spazi Musicali, Festival 2009, Rome, Italy
16. ^ A. Gasponi, "Minimalismo in chiave italiana", Il Messaggero, Rome (IT), October 19, 2009
17. ^ C. Pulsoni, "L'orazione di Victor Hugo trasformata in musica", Il Corriere dell'Umbria, Vivere d'Umbria, Perugia (IT), November 19, 2009
18. ^ J. Schaefer, "Relentless Minimalism", New Sounds, broadcast on WNYC, 93.9 FM/820 AM, New York (USA), July 17, 2008
19. ^ J. Schaefer, "Eurominimalism", New Sounds, broadcast on WNYC, 93.9 FM/820 AM, New York (USA), September 10, 2008
20. ^ "Echoes Radio Show", Syndicated to NPR (Public Radio International), Playlists:0830B, 0745C, 0743B, 0738D
21. ^ R. Haskins, "Minimamachta", American Record Guide, May/June 2010
22. ^ V. Di Matteo, "Minimal Music", Master Thesis, Conservatorio di Musica di Palermo "V. Bellini", Palermo (IT), A.Y. 2009/2010, p. 52
23. ^ La resistenza nella provincia di Roma Listing at The Internet Movie Database
24. ^ EMEC, me: Marine Equipment, Belgium, 2008
25. ^ ResearcherID, Matteo Sommacal, Publication List
26. ^ "Current trends in integrability and nonlinear phenomena", J. Physics A 43, 430301 (2010)
27. ^ Wolfram MathWorld, Chaos
28. ^ Nonlinear Evolution Equations and Dynamical Systems, NEEDS 2009

External links

• Matteo Sommacal, Casa Musicale Sonzogno
• Matteo Sommacal, Comitato Nazionale Italiano Musica (CIDIM)
• Matteo Sommacal, "Physics and mathematics of nonlinear processes and models", Università degli studi di Roma "La Sapienza"
• Matteo Sommacal, ResearcherID
• Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
• Radio interview, with Piero Pieri, "Jazz e Dintorni", Radio RAI UNO, Friuli Venezia Giulia (IT)

Persondata
Name	Sommacal, Matteo
Alternative names
Short description	composer, mathematician
Date of birth	November 18, 1977
Place of birth	Rome, Italy
Date of death
Place of death