Interview with Antonella Suella, a soprano with a brilliant voice and the soul of the AndromacA, an Italian contemporary classical music group founded in 2006 by the singer herself together with Stefano Bertoli. Their music, gloomy, ghostly and with a strong evocative power, is an immersion in a pleasant, eerie and disturbing dreamlike dimension.
L: Hi Antonella, give a little introduction about yourself.
A: I am a simple person with a complex life, divided into three between singing, teaching (singing) and a six-year-old girl.
L: Black AndromacA Is that your stage name? Why this choice?
A: Actually it's not, AndromacA is the name of the project and NerA the title of our first record... Facebook required first and last name and that's how the misunderstanding came about.
L: Can you tell us about your early experiences in music?
A: In 1990 I met Stefano Bertoli, who had just returned from the United States, with whom I founded the first nucleus of what later became Malà Strana... I had been playing guitar for a couple of years at the time and had never sung. Talking about it now is kind of funny.
L: What can you tell us about your experience as a Ninth Moon with the rock-progressive band Nova Mala Strana?
A: The quintessential rock band: 5 soloists/5 huge dickheads. We all had very diverse backgrounds ranging from jazz to metal through electronica... the tension was pretty much constant and nobody ever gave up on anything... two records, as they did in those days, recorded with instruments on tapes, no computers, no autotune, no money, most of all... a great human as well as musical workout.
L: In 1993 you founded the gothic group Iconae with Stephen Bertoli. Tell us about this artistic period of yours.
A: From an artistic point of view it was probably the most complete: the music had an absolutely defined and precise form, for my part I had completely given up rock and was finishing conservatory and all this had brought new blood and a great desire to do. Unfortunately, the impossibility of having a stable live lineup (for us the live element has always been crucial) led us, a few years later, to abandon the project... Iconae never melted, however.
L: AndromacA is the name of the current group in which you sing with Bertoli (Live Electronic). When it was born AndromacA?
A: The name AndromacA around 2006. Stephen had worked in several DarkAmbient matrix electronic projects in the previous years and was getting into contemporary classical, at the same time we were working for theatrical soundtracks and decided to let the two projects coexist.
L: If you had to name your musical style, what would you call it?
A: Contemporary classical.
L: What are your main musical influences? Are you also inspired by art forms distant from music?
A: Especially distant from music. Silent film is a constant source of inspiration along with certain forms of ritual dances, you can find themes assimilated to these through all of our music, especially in NerA... as far as Varese music is concerned, definitely, along with Cage and Stockhausen.
L: To whom would you recommend your music?
A: To anyone who wants to listen to something without limits or margins.
L: Are you familiar with Diamanda Galas and the Aghast? If someone were to associate your music with theirs?
A: And how! And I love Galas, as a woman and as a singer ... the comparison is made all the time and I take it as a great compliment even though, musically, we do completely different things. Maybe it's the Mediterranean acumen, who knows?
L: Have you ever thought of composing a soundtrack for a horror movie?
A: That would be a dream.
L: Speaking of horror cinema, what are your favorite movies?
A: Whatever Dario Argento produced in the 1970s.
L: Plans for the future? Upcoming concerts?
A: A new record to be released in early 2015 and four dates between October and December that will be used to test the new material, the last ones before going into the studio.
L: An opinion on this interview?
A: You are a white fly in the Italian scene, educated, prepared and ask pertinent questions... next time I'll interview you!
L: Nice and very kind! Leave a message to those who will read this interview!
A: Don't just read, come and listen.
L: I thank you for your helpfulness!
AndromacA - Ariadne's lament:
