Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘Colors Of The Amazon’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
As a composer, concert pianist and producer, I have had the privilege of working with several exciting and inspiring filmmakers and directors. The distinctive nature of my compositions is very cinematic, so it is truly inspiring to see how a visual story can be created specifically out of music. Music videos such as Painting The Sky, Colors Of The Amazon, Vicino ma lontano, Crystal Piano and Our Wind Of Change are beautiful testaments to this. I also carry in my heart short films like the ones I made for example with Lorenzo Quinn (The Four Loves), one of the most important sculptors in the world. I am grateful that several of these projects have won awards.
Tell us about ‘Colors Of The Amazon’. How do you describe it?
Some time after performing Amazonas, a composition for piano and orchestra, at the beautiful Teatro Amazonas in Manaus, I returned to visit the indigenous people of the Brazilian Amazon forest where I had the exceptional opportunity to make a recording of a traditional song. In Colors Of The Amazon, I use that song in its original and unfiltered form as a framework. The result is a cinematic composition that allowed me to explore a fascinating sound world where world music and orchestral tradition embrace each other. It is a project in which I try to transcend musical boundaries, and it was a pleasure to collaborate for this with Brazilian filmmaker and director Francisco Barboza, who was able to translate my music into a specific artistic context.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
I am interested in a broad spectrum of films, from short films to feature films, with my preference for films in which music plays an important role. For instance, a wonderful example where image and music are incredibly balanced are the films of the Steven Spielberg/John Williams tandem.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
The ideal project, from the composer's point of view, is that in which the musically emotional message is visually translated and stimulated in a sophisticated and balanced way. The budget required for this can vary significantly.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
It is important that you work within a strong and motivated team. A team with the same mentality that understands each other well and wants to achieve the same goals. This is the best guarantee of staying on track.
What was the hardest part of making ‘Colors Of The Amazon’.
The collaboration with the film crew in Brazil and Belgium, led by Nils Valkenborgh, actually went very smoothly. For film director Francisco Barboza, who himself lives in the Brazilian Amazon forest, the rainy season and the vagaries of nature made it challenging at times to get the right images.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
My next project is called “Soulmates”: an intimate, dreamy and cinematic piano solo composition that will be enchantingly portrayed in Belgium.
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