Rediscovering, interpreting, sharing. Music as a quest: a conversation with Roberto Prosseda

In this interview, pianist and pedagogue Roberto Prosseda, starting from his reflections on his recent album War Silence (Hyperion, 2025), dedicated to modern and contemporary Italian music, shares insights into various aspects of his artistic activity. The conversation opens with a retrospective look at the influence of 20th-century Italian composers on the early stages of his career – an influence that continues to resonate in his current work. In this context, Prosseda highlights his efforts to rediscover underperformed repertoire, such as works by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Moreover, he discusses his parallel projects, including recordings of repertoires from the Classical period on historical pianos, which reveal his interpretive versatility. He also unveils new recording initiatives, focusing on compositions that have yet to be discovered or re-evaluated. Then, from a pedagogical perspective, Prosseda emphasizes the importance of sharing musical experience in a clear and accessible way while pursuing a deep, authentic, and personal interpretive voice. The interview underscores his strong commitment to artistic research – a field increasingly recognized within higher music education institutions in both Europe and Italy. Finally, Prosseda illustrates how music pedagogy and the most recent forms of artistic research complement each other, offering a comprehensive and enriching vision of music.