We are pleased to introduce Diego Petrini, a talented drummer and keyboardist best known as a founding member and composer of Il Bacio della Medusa, one of the most important names in Italian Progressive Rock of the 2000s. Petrini now steps into the spotlight with his first solo work “La Materia del Suono,” released via AMS Records and
distributed by BTF/Vinyl Magic. An ambitious, visionary concept album divided into two parts—L’Armonia della Natura and Sull’Artificio dell’Uomo—the record offers a rich, cinematic and emotionally charged sonic journey through Jazz-Rock, 1970s Prog, Fusion, Classical and more. Among its contributors is legendary Jumbo vocalist Alvaro Fella, featured on the final track. We had the chance to ask Diego a few in-depth questions about this exciting and multifaceted release.
Let’s begin from the origin of the project. When did the first ideas for “La Materia del Suono” take shape, and what motivated you to work on a solo album?
The original intuitions and first musical drafts date back to the late 1990s, others are from 2005 2006, others in 2010 when I began systematically approaching the piano as an instrument dedicated to composition. At that time I was coming out of the titanic work of Discesa agl’Inferi with Il Bacio della Medusa, and a lot of new ideas began to pirouette in my mind, which then slowly took a completed form over the years to follow. That of composing music is an inescapable need for me, and I wanted to give birth to something that would represent this personal journey of research of mine that lasted
many springs…hence the reason for my solo path.
The album is deeply cinematic and conceptually divided into two parts. Could you elaborate on the core concept behind the project, and how this Nature vs. Artificiality theme influenced your writing?
Certainly, the record has a double meaning: on the one hand, there is the creation of the work by the artist who through his intellect transforms inert matter into something completely different, transcending the ordinary world and concerning the sphere of the invisible, always complicit in our creative actions and visually interpreted in the cover painting. On the other, I wanted to describe in an evolutionary way the creation of Nature and the birth of the universe: in fact, thanks to a collaboration with NASA and Harvard physicists I was able to use the sound of a black hole in the incipit of the record, the Perseus 8 of the constellation Andromeda, the creation of the sea (Come in mare le onde), the drift of the continents (Alla Deriva), trees and the development of vegetation in Macchia Verde, etc. moving on to the advent of man in Anttropomorfa and Sublimazione to Mimesi, where man himself tries to match nature in the creation of new materials (La Plastica) the industrial phase and the profound need to pay some attention to the phenomenon of pollution in our days.
The circle closes with Ciò che Trascende, the only sung track on the entire album by the voice of Alvaro Fella of Jumbo, loosely inspired by Erich Fromm’s literary work of social psychology Avere o Essere, in which the two fundamental patterns of contemporary society are analyzed.
Much of the material seems to have started from the piano. Can you describe your compositional process and how you developed the tracks from that initial approach?
As I recounted earlier, the piano proved to be a powerful ally in bringing to life the tracks in La Materia del Suono, but underlying this journey of mine was never lacking the rhythmic factor of the drums, like a musical two-faced Janus. From the first drafts on piano and drums I then came to imagine and realize all the orchestrations, instrumental interweavings, and sounds to be used. This was a very long and cumbersome process that, however, gave me really satisfying results both from the point of view of the arrangement and the work in the recording studio. The result in my opinion is totally organic in its variety.
The album merges many influences—Jazz-Rock, Prog, Classical, Ethnic Music, and more. How do you approach blending these styles without losing coherence?
I tried to maintain a stylistic consistency by faithfully following the images represented by the concept and putting into practice many years of experience. As in Painting each painting needs its favorite colors so it happens for me in Music; I drew very naturally on my listening background and my musical practice, applying to the initial idea the genre that best represented that type of composition, indeed often more than one in a chase of scene changes as in a movie. Then once the pieces are stabilized a phase I call sedimentation begins, to see things from another perspective, and that is that of the listener.
Despite being a solo project, the album features some brilliant performances by guest musicians. How did you select the collaborators, and what was the working dynamic like?
Yes, I was able to surround myself with trusted musicians who enthusiastically took on my ambitious project and vision. The work started in the studio with guiding tracks of piano, drums, classical guitar and orchestrations, after which the various musicians were grafted in starting with Giorgio Panico’s bass, then Eva Morelli’s woodwinds, Andrea Morelli’s guitar and Claudio Ridolfi’s accordion to Alvaro Fella’s vocals.
Eva Morelli, your bandmate in Il Bacio della Medusa, contributes flute and saxophone. What role did she play in shaping the sound of the album?
Eva has been present since the birth of the first ideas of La Materia del Suono, listening to them with deep attention, commenting on my choices on instruments and arrangement, then experimenting with her flute and sax melodies so as to enhance the songs but without weighing them down. Her strong will was to embellish the compositions by grafting the right parts and focusing on sound care, and I think she succeeded perfectly.
The closing track “Ciò Che Trascende” features the unmistakable voice of Alvaro Fella from Jumbo. How did this collaboration come about, and what did it mean for you to have him involved?
For a long time I had been thinking about who would be a perfect interpreter of this song, and my choice was straightforward. Since I am a great admirer of his voice and the album Vietato ai minori di 18 anni, I contacted Alvaro and asked if he would be willing to collaborate, sending him the listening material and the lyrics with a quick singing
guideline. Alvaro was immediately enthusiastic about the song and agreed, to my great pleasure, to perform this song that I particularly care about and that I wrote for my son Perseo. A really good choice given Fella’s masterful interpretation!
There’s a strong narrative and emotional arc throughout the album, even though most of it is instrumental. How did you manage to tell a story through purely musical language?
I am a great fan of cinema and in particular of the film composers of the 1960s and 1970s, which must surely have shaped my imagination in creating narrative scenarios that do not rely exclusively on textual elements… essentially I compose music for images, thanks to an endless vocabulary of sound I have been able to translate something as intangible and intangible as the musical Idea into something profoundly concrete and above all shareable
and usable by all.
You’ve included vintage synths like the Moog and Mellotron, evoking Scandinavian Prog and the 1970s scene. Was this a conscious homage or a natural part of your sound palette?
They were absolutely natural and physiological choices. My musical listening is varied and also thanks to this over the years I have shaped my taste and stylistic choices, so rather than homages or cameos it is really about compositional essence.
Let’s talk about the album’s production. Where and how was it recorded, and how long did the overall process take?
This is a good story!
The album was recorded in Perugia between 2023 and 2024 between my private studio and that of sound engineer Nicola Pannacci, who then left for the United States at the end of the audio shoot. From there began a long distance mixing phase that lasted almost a year; upon completion the work then returned to Italy for mastering in Emanuele Pesaresi’s Castelfidardo studio. La Materia del Suono traveled halfway around the world to come to light!
As a founding member of Il Bacio della Medusa, how did working alone compare to writing and recording with a full band?
It all happened in a very natural and fluid if tiring and articulate way due to the thousands of life commitments. In BDM I usually live the combination of my music with Simone Cecchini’s lyrics but I have always tried to take care of the arrangement of the songs in the smallest details, so the process for me is absolutely the same. Also from a very young age I had in my Uncle Giuseppe’s studio the opportunity to play many instruments and record them, a practice that I have always carried on over the years.
What message, reflection or experience would you like listeners to take away after hearing “La Materia del Suono”?
You can still make Music without compromising while maintaining your artistic essence.
You’re about to present the album in a special preview event at the Auditorium Santa Cecilia in Perugia on June 20. What should the audience expect from this unique premiere?
It is sure to be a very engaging live show, full of sound suggestions that the audience will be able to appreciate in a setting of extraordinary artistic beauty.
Thank you, Diego, for taking the time to share these insights. We truly appreciate your openness and passion, and we look forward to following the journey of “La Materia del
Suono” as it reaches a wider audience.
Thank you for your attention and enjoy my Music!
For more information, be sure to check AMS Records and follow updates on Diego Petrini‘s official channels listed below.
Purchase the album here:
AMS: https://ams-music.it/wp/diego-petrini-la-materia-del-suono-cd/
BTF: https://btf.it/prodotto/diego-petrini-la-materia-del-suono-cd/