L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 7 Debora Petrina with her Roses of the Day hits the Italian audience in Los Angeles BENEDETTA CICCONI O n t h e o c c a s i o n o f a n amazing performance, recently hosted by the Italian Cultural I n s t i t u t e , D e b o r a P e t r i n a p r e s e n t e d t o t h e I t a l i a n community of L.A. her latest a l b u m R o s e s o f t h e D a y , a c o m b i n a t i o n o f j a z z , r o c k , electronic, and classical music. Petrina is appreciated not only in Europe but also in the U.S.A. for her unique and extraordinary w o r k , a s b o t h a s i n g e r a n d m u s i c i a n . S h e i s a c o m p l e t e a r t i s t , w h o s e p u r p o s e i s t o convey emotions through her voice and her body. Thanks to h e r s o p h i s t i c a t e d a r t i s t i c research, Petrina has been able to draw the attention of famous Italian musicians and composers, opening concerts for Gino Paoli and Cristina Donà, as well as of international artist David Byrne, the Talking Heads' leader, with whom she collaborated in her r e c o r d P e t r i n a . S h e a l s o composes scores for movies and theater shows, and this is one of the reasons why Los Angeles was the perfect location to end her U.S. tour. Debora, could you tell us m o r e a b o u t y o u r m u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y a r t i s t i c career? I was born in a small city, which lacked artistic inspiration: t h e r e w e r e n e i t h e r m u s i c o r d a n c e s c h o o l s n o r s h o w s . N e v e r t h e l e s s , s i n c e I w a s a c h i l d , I h a v e a l w a y s h a d a n inclination for performing arts. I u s e d t o e n j o y d o i n g choreographies for my birthday p a r t i e s u s i n g s o n g s b y L e d Zeppelin, and then I started to take piano lessons. After a few months, I was admitted to the conservatory! This is how my m u s i c a l j o u r n e y b e g a n b u t , i n s t e a d o f c o n t i n u i n g m y classical studies as a pianist, I rather wanted to explore new sounds. Therefore, after some e x p e r i e n c e s a b r o a d a t t h e Ljubljana and Budapest Music Academies, I decided to change m y c o u r s e o f s t u d i e s a n d t o e x p l o r e m o r e " n i c h e " m u s i c genres. And yet it was only after the painful death of my father that I finally found my own way of communicating: I started to use my body and my voice by merging them together. How could you explain the u n i q u e n e s s o f y o u r performances? C o m p l e x i t y i s p a r t o f a r t b e c a u s e i t i s p a r t o f o u r h u m a n i t y . F o r i n s t a n c e , o u r body works in very a complex manner, and also our feelings are often contradictory. This human condition can be well represented by different means such as the voice, electronic music, dance, and piano. Y o u h a v e r e c e n t l y presented your latest record R o s e s o f t h e D a y t o t h e a u d i e n c e o f t h e I t a l i a n C u l t u r a l I n s t i t u t e i n L o s A n g e l e s . W h a t k i n d o f feedback did you receive? I t w a s a n a m a z i n g experience. Even though some of the people in attendance were not familiar with this type of performance, in which the piano is mixed with electronic music and contemporary dance, their reaction was full of surprise and curiosity. Have you ever been to Los A n g e l e s b e f o r e ? W h a t w a s your impression of the city? It was my first time, so I was shocked by the L.A. traffic and long distances: I had to drive for 90 km to get to Sunset Blvd! However, as soon as I looked at it, I fell in love with L.A. with its breathtaking landscape and warm people, who are open to a dialogue without prejudices. I could also see that nowadays L.A. is playing an important role as an avant-garde center that attracts talents from around the world. D o y o u b e l i e v e t h a t t h e L . A . I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n community has still a good feeling and connection with Italian music? In L.A. I have met friendly people interested in my artistic journey, and I think that the w o r k o f C u l t u r a l I n s t i t u t e s w o r l d w i d e i s e s s e n t i a l t o provide the Italian communities with the opportunity to explore their cultural roots and to meet c o n t e m p o r a r y a r t i s t s o n t h e o c c a s i o n o f e x h i b i t i o n s a n d shows. During the last months, you have performed extensively on the U.S. West Coast. Do you have a special connection with the area? The U.S.A. in general calls to my mind youth, enthusiasm, and limitless experimentation. Most of the composers with whom I h a v e w o r k e d a n d w h o h a v e i n s p i r e d m e a r e a c t u a l l y A m e r i c a n s . I n p a r t i c u l a r , California was the epicenter of a social and cultural revolution, which left an invaluable legacy i n t h e h i s t o r y o f m u s i c a n d mainly in the rock music that I listened to as child, such as The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and The Doors. You collaborated with top a r t i s t s t h e l i k e s o f D a v i d B y r n e , l e a d e r o f T a l k i n g Heads. Would you like to tell us how this happened? David Byrne and I met by chance: one of my records ended u p i n h i s h a n d s a n d h e w a s intrigued by it. Afterwards, I found my songs in his web-radio playlist and asked him to feature i n m y a l b u m P e t r i n a . H e a c c e p t e d . S o m e t i m e d r e a m s come true! W h a t a b o u t y o u r f u t u r e plans? At present I'm working on m y n e x t r e c o r d , a p r o j e c t featuring only voice, piano, and live electronics. During one of my concerts in San Francisco, I met an artist with whom I will collaborate in November. This project will involve at the same t i m e B e r l i n , V e n i c e , a n d o f course Los Angeles. Artist Debora Petrina. Photo courtesy of Debora Petrina LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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