Bruno Bavota

As well as extra chances to catch well-known names in a relaxed daytime setting, the Iceland Airwaves off-venues can offer chances to glimpse artists on the rise. Italian composer and pianist Bruno Bavota is one such performer, making his debut in Iceland playing only off-venue shows. With the excitement and joy Bruno brings to his music, catching one of his performances should be high on your to-do list. We caught up with him to find out how it came about.
Hi Bruno. Could you tell us a bit about yourself and work?
Hello everyone! I’m a modern classical artist from Italy, but first of all I’m simply a man who tries to let his soul resonate through music. I started in December 2010 with my first self-released album “Il pozzo d’amor” – really a “well” full of my deepest emotions. Then in March of this year I released a new album “La casa sulla Luna”. I’m currently working on my third release that will be out on April 21th.
Have you performed in Iceland Before?
No, but I’ve been in Iceland as a tourist. I fell in love immediately when I came, and thought that one day I would come back to play my music. Now that day is arrived!
What brings you to Airwaves this year?
I’ve heard about Airwaves for years, and always wanted to play at this wonderful festival. So this year I sent some music, and found a lot of kind people ready to welcome me. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the people behind the off-venue program, and the venues.

Where are you performing and when? Do you enjoy these kind of intimate shows?
I have five different performances scheduled: October 30 at Lucky Records (h 18.00), October 31 at Hlemmur Square Hostel (h 17.00) and Volcano House (h 19.00), November 1st at Downtown Hostel (h 16.00) and Hotel Borg (h 18.00). I’ve seen that I’ll play in venues where a lot of my favorite artists have played before and I’ve also seen that people pay a lot of attention to the off-venue program. These type of performances are where people discover the undiscovered!

What is your take on Airwaves as a festival, and what are you personally most excited for?
I really think Airwaves is one of most beautiful festivals in Europe, and in one of most wonderful places in the world. I’m so excited to return to Iceland and play. And last but not least, I’m excited hear a lot of beautiful music, and to meet the people who love it.

What should we look forward to in your performances?
My performance will be a solo piano show. I’ll also play some songs from my upcoming album, so I’ve prepared surrounding sounds, recorded with my electric guitar, a reverb and delay. I’ll use these sounds as well. It’s something new in my performance.

What does the future hold for you beyond Airwaves?
Things are very exciting right now. As of last week, I’m an artist of Toutpartout and I am really honoured to be part of a such great agency in Europe, and be in a team with many of my favourite artists like Nils Frahm and Peter Broderick. So I’ll have many European shows coming up in 2014.

Where should people go to check out more of your work and schedule?
People can find me everywhere (Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Soundcloud, Instagram, Google+), and for my performance schedule they could also check my artist page on Toutpartout. - Grapevine

Ora che è diventato uno dei rappresentanti di primo piano della scena modern classical nostrana (e non), possiamo dire alcune cose su Bruno Bavota. In primis che da queste parti lo si conosce e ne si parla da anni, da quando forse nemmeno lui credeva sarebbe arrivato a incidere per realtà piccole ma attive e influenti a livello internazionale come Dronarivm e Psychonavigation, aprendo di fatto la strada all'interesse di quest'ultima per l'Italia e i suoi musicisti. In secundis che, riascoltando oggi “Il pozzo d'amor”, lavoro con cui aveva debuttato ben sei anni fa, forse nemmeno noi ci avremmo scommesso troppo. Ci è bastato poco per ricrederci, ovvero l'imperfetto ma promettente “La casa sulla Luna”: oggi, però, “Mediterraneo” è forse davvero il colpo inatteso, quello della consacrazione definitiva, quello in cui Bavota raccoglie finalmente quanto seminato in anni di escalation.

Della poetica della semplicità e dell'immediatezza sentimentale che il pianista campano ha eretto a verbo abbiamo già ampiamente raccontato in passato. Basti dire che la sua è forse l'espressione modern classical più vicina al pop in senso stretto che si ricordi dopo quella di Ludovico Einaudi (e volendo glissare sui tanti cloni montati e incosistenti di quest'ultimo). Bavota non dipinge né scolpisce: semmai racconta, come un cantastorie. E parla di tramonti, albe, amori, sentimenti, relazioni, radici, emozioni: delle cose più semplici inquadrate dal punto di vista più semplice, senza analisi o approfondimenti. Materie che porterebbero chiunque a scadere nella superficialità, nel luogo comune: chiunque ma non lui, che in mezzo a tutto questo ci è nato e vissuto, che di tutto questo ha fatto il suo bagaglio e il segreto del suo successo.

“Mediterraneo” è il compimento di un viaggio, un sentimento e un'appartenenza prima ancora che un'immagine o un luogo. Mediterraneo per Bavota è nome e aggettivo al tempo stesso: la sua musica evoca qui ancor più che in passato gli scenari caldi e rigogliosi della Macchia, i tramonti sul Mare, odori e colori che restano unici nel mondo. Ma ancor più di questo, trasmette quel sentimento – idealizzato, senza dubbio – che solo queste terre possiedono e condividono con chi le vive. Basterebbe la sola “Hands” a confezionare tutto questo in pochi minuti di piano, chitarra e archi (ultima new entry nel soundscape di Bavota): è il suo manifesto, il suo brano più riuscito, il capolavoro in cui la sua poetica raggiunge il massimo delle sue potenzialità, seguita a ruota dal ritorno alle origini della title track, momento di pura commozione affidato al solo pianoforte.

In principio, l'intimismo di “Home” e il più vivace “Interlude” fungono da disegno preparatorio: i colori accesi, tonici e suggestivi del secondo vengono spenti, raffreddati e immersi nella malinconia nel notturno del primo. Sul medesimo contrasto si gioca la vicinanza tra “Alba” e “The Night”, con i ricami limpidi della chitarra nell'acquerello del primo ad anticipare la maestosa sonata di piano del secondo, altro momento semplicemente irresistibile. Ma non c'è brano, a dire il vero, che scenda sotto il livello dell'eccellenza: “A Quiet Place” riunisce arpeggi, cantato del violino e contrappunti del piano in un possibile biglietto da visita, “Passport To The Moon” si isola in meditazione avvicinando il Nils Frahm più ispirato, “Sweet Fall” accelera tempi e ritmi toccando con mano il cuore pulsante dei luoghi evocati.

Il finale di “Fairy Tale” e la riflessione di “Who Loves, Lives” sono, infine, due metà di una medesima storia d'amore: quella fra un artista, la musica, la sua terra e le emozioni primarie da essa evocate. Che raggiungono qui una rappresentazione squisita e definitiva, accessibile a chiunque e pronta a fare scuola.
Meraviglia.

N.B. L'intero album è ascoltabile in anteprima streaming per OndaRock qui. - Ondarock

When we last encountered Bruno Bavota, he (or a stand-in) was on a rock, staring out to sea. The new collection may be called Mediterraneo, but according to the composer, it is not about the sea. Bavota writes that it is instead about “warmth, light and love.” This being said, we still hear the sea in these sounds, like the rush of waves in a shell long after it has been brought home; after all, the title track first appeared on the Japanese version of The Secret of the Sea.

Last time, we wrote that Bavota was anything but melancholic. The new album causes us to revise our earlier impression. As everyone who has been in love knows, love is not always joyful; it can be wistful and hurtful ~ but with luck, blessing and hard work, love can also be ultimately fulfilling and transcendent. In order to capture love in music, one must capture more than a single nuance: the warmth, yes, but also the lack of warmth, the yearning for an eternal flame. When the strings drop out at the very end of “Interlude”, they leave behind the impression of a forlorn lover, whose object of desire has just left. Will they return? Of course ~ this is still Bavota, after all, and his hopes are still high. But first this lover must walk in the rain (“Home”), think about all he has, and wonder what he will be like if he loses it. When the major chords return on “Hands”, one can imagine the lovers running into each other’s arms.

The album continues on this bittersweet tangent, underlining the simple observation that love, light and warmth come and go in waves ~ and yes, once again, there’s that reference to the sea. In the most melancholic piece, “Who Loves, Lives”, these lovers, represented by Bavota’s two hands on the piano, lose and regain their energy multiple times, finally reviving, allowing the light to enter like forgiveness. In the end, the notes sound more like tenderness than weariness; they have learned to accommodate each other.

An album such as this needs a key track, and it can be found, ironically, in “The Night”. The minor notes that first appear at 1:54 transform the entire nature of the track, and by extension, the album. A song that begins with single notes, and an album that includes expanded instrumentation, finds its power in a pure piano passage that is as simple as love is complex. But must love always be complex? The vow at the altar is a leap of faith, erasing all complexity, leaving only grace. Even in the night, a light is shining somewhere. (Richard Allen) - A Closer Listen

Secret of the Sea aveva rappresentato un passo importante per la carriera di Bruno Bavota, compositore e pianista campano che ha saputo costruirsi una credibilità internazionale non di poco conto. Fino al punto di approdare ad una delle etichette dell’eccellenza contemporanea in ambito di ricerca musicale: la Dronarivm.
Il nuovo lavoro si intitola Mediterraneo ed è uscito ufficialmente il 25 Maggio. Nessun riferimento al mare ma più che altro al senso della navigazione, come testimone secolare di radici e suggeritore del futuro, come contenitore di emozioni, di luci e ombre. E’ moltiplicatore e detrattore. Bruno Bavota capta l’essenza di questo concetto, di questa immagine, di questa visione.
Il compositore campano produce, probabilmente, la sua opera più intima che è stata realizzata in un unico giorno, al buio in una stanza (scenario riproposto anche in alcuni suoi live in Giappone). Viene ripresa la purezza degli esordi (l’essenzialità di “Passport to the Moon”, alla fluidità sporca di”Home” sino alle delicate “dissonanze” e la pulizia minimale di “The Night“) ma stilisticamente viene portato tutto il progresso dell’ultimo album.
Il pianoforte è l’unico protagonista con gli altri strumenti che coprono il ruolo di suggestive comparse (Marco Pescosolido al violoncello e Paolo Sasso al violino) come gli archi in “Hands” e di “A quiet Place” (nella quale compare anche la chitarra). Un’evocazione senza banalità come dimostra la dolcezza del finale con “Fairy Tale”
Essenza dello strumento che rappresenta quella delle emozioni: Bruno Bavota si trasforma in medium sonoro e trasporta tutto il significato del suo concept, scompare il compositore (pensate all’intreccio di “Mediterraneo” e la dinamicità di “Sweet Fall“) e compare solo la musica e questo è il punto di forza maggiore di questo album. Un’altra conferma del suo talento. Quarta prova superata.
Voto: 7,3/10
- See more at: http://www.sonofmarketing.it/mediterraneo-bruno-bavota/#sthash.psXvLHe6.dpuf - Sonofmarketing

Falling and rising in equidistant phrasing can be seen as one of the cultivations of mediterranean life. The lifestyle is slower, while people do more manual work to get a job ironed. The food is healthier, whereas the feed is richer. The basic architecture stands further apart with the climate eroding the pieces of history. When all this comes together, it forms a solid building block of fortuitous intent in either falling back on a task, or rising to the occasion.

Rising to the occasion is something Bruno Bavota certainly does on his most completely realised collection of piano, string and guitar tracks to date, ‘Mediterraneo’. With a generally slow pace being bassily backed up by reverb-heavy piano phrasing, there is no instruction manual required to go from a to b, it floats together seamlessly. Likewise, the shanty pull of “a quiet place” multitracks guitar and piano so they interweave a satisfying cluster ideology, mirroring the primitivism and placenta-gorged platitudes of early composition standards and taking them into a modern classical ballroom.

This feel for remembrance and romanticism correlates accurately with Naples, Italy, Bavota’s city of residence. Seen as a european boon to many, picturesque and pure, the resonance for this acquiescence translates to the sounds Bruno sculpts on these recordings. The partially electronic “Sweet Fall” remains a real flourishing violet enigma of a track, bending its rhythmical base so it transposes pitch into constant, bobbing timbral epoch. “Passport to the Moon” after this checks in a moment of reflection where the essentials of relaxation and release lie, Bavota scanning his notes to the letter and latter “Fairy Tale” outro as if he’s about to disappear into the further reaches of space. Nothing feels forced, one movement contributes to waves of resolution in the heart of the listener, and the heat of the moment. In culmination, it all means ‘Mediterraneo’ is realised as a fundamental step up the ladder for Bavota, with hopeful concerts rich with surprises across the world at large. - Fluid Radio

Mediterraneo is the latest full length record from Neopolitan pianist and composer Bruno Bavota. There are many reasons one might assume the theme of the album is the sea – the title, the vibrant blue-green hues of the impressionistic cover art, the location of Naples on a bay that opens into the Mediterranean Sea, and the fact that Bavota’s last album was called Secret of the Sea. Perhaps the sea cannot be ignored as a presence and influence, but Bavota tells us that is not what Mediterraneo is about at all:

“Mediterraneo has nothing to do with the sea. Mediterraneo means warmth, the flame of the soul, which keeps us alive. Mediterraneo means light, the light of the heart, the only spark that can enlighten darkness. Mediterraneo is love at its highest moment, cosmic love, the one kind of love that connects but doesn’t merge. Mediterraneo is sharing, the natural act that makes us human and lets us embrace each other. Mediterraneo is chasing… dreams, expectations, contentions… but above all it’s chasing truth, as the fulfillment of one own inimitable song.”



Bavota recorded Mediterraneo in one day and totally in the dark, an experiment done at home alone and then represented during his Japan Tour last March. Music and inspiration was clearly flowing allowing to create a beautiful and varied collection of songs. It might be too limiting to simply refer to this as modern classical. One of the things that makes Bavota’s music unique is that rather than just create a mood or set a scene, his compositions are imbued with the vibrancy of life itself. Using tempos and rhythms that feel just as much like dialogue as music, he tells us stories and converses with us. Bavota is not just making music – he is using it as a tool to make human connections and celebrate shared experiences. All of this makes Mediterraneo a refreshing and uplifting record that is a joy to listen to.

Mastered by Jason Corder (aka Offthesky) and with cover art by Abby Lanes. Mediterraneo is available from Dronarivm in two CD editions, a standard digipak and a limited redition packages in in a silk-screen printed envelope with 3 handmade cyanotype images in a frames (55 copies). - Stationary Travels

La bellezza. La bellezza dell’emozione, la bellezza del vivere un’emozione, viva, estemporanea a tratti ma intensa, forte. La ricerca non dell’estetica del bello, ma la ricerca interiore del bello. Esplorare posti che ogni giorno ci vengono a cercare mentre ascoltiamo e soprattutto mentre facciamo musica. Trovare, ritrovarsi, sentire in sè e negli altri la forza dell’espressione. E’ qui che approda “Mediterraneo”, quarto album del partenopeo Bruno Bavota che traccia ma soprattutto coglie il bello che parte dalla sua incredibile Napoli per arrivare nell’Europa e oltre l’Europa, in Oriente. “Mediterraneo”, degno erede (e non era facile) di un disco notevole come lo era stato il suo predecessore “The Secret of The Sea”, continua un percorso artistico che avevamo accolto a pieni voti per la crescita stilistica e per il sound di Bavota. Il pianoforte strumento maestro che passeggia nel parco con chitarre acustiche, archi e tappeti sonori simili al vento che sibila il mare, i nostri pensieri, le nostre speranze. La ridondanza, la ripetizione del tema è la sostanza che regge la scaletta composta da 11 brani. Ma un aspetto timido, piccolo ma di un’efficacia presente è la melodia che quasi sempre ravviva quasi tutti i brani in scaletta. Magistrali i momenti “Alba” e “The Night”, che scorrono una dopo l’altra.

“Mediterraneo” come il disco precedente ancora una volta accoglie il mare, fissa dimora e fissazione vera per chi vive di mare in una città come Napoli che del mare respira la vita ogni giorno. Ma “Mediterraneo” è anche l’abisso o meglio ancora la grandezza, una cavità marina che contiene uno zibaldone di sentimenti, il tormento e il raccoglimento come in “A Quiet Place”.

L’essenza del disco, che racchiude il leitmotiv di “Mediterraneo” si manifesta nel momento in cui parte il brano “Who Loves, lives”. Il concepimento musicale di getto, istintivo, sincero, puro. Poche note, qualche ricordo lontano perso, la memoria che si mescola con il presente, il brivido e all’improvviso senti un fremito ed è una fiume in piena quello che esce fuori. Da questo mix parte la melodia senza fine, senza tempo. Il pezzo potrebbe durare in eterno senza mai annoiare, il tempo si dilata alla Bergsoniana maniera, è qui che senti il Frahm che stupisce in giro per l’Europa.

Questa è poesia allo stato puro.

In conclusione:”Mediterraneo” è stata registrato in un unico giorno ed è stata suonato interamente al buio.Un’ esperienza sensoriale che il giovane artista ha riproposto nella fantastica e incredibile tournee in Giappone e che riproporrà nei prossimi live.

…Who loves, lives… - Indie For Bunnies

Bavota’s press release for his latest record is bold and adamant: this new album is not about the Mediterranean as you’d expect it to be; moreover it’s a record dedicated to its warmth and light and shared love, its impressionistic qualities that have left an imprint on many people over the years who live near its shores or have gaze out over its glittering expanse. But it doesn’t take Bruno’s emboldened PDF’s to see that this is obvious the moment we begin listening; in the piano, guitar and violins captured here the sea is merely a distant memory, and although it lies at the principle core of the record, love and intimacy form the true focus here, if you can get through the somewhat formulaic compositions.

“Interlude” appropriately opens the record and is consequently followed by “Home”, both of them encapsulating feelings of distance and separation turning into reunion; the opener breaks our hiatus in slowly emerging introspective piano before tumbling into more impassioned violin movements filled with a growing energy that marks the waking up of the record, whilst “Home” creeps out in replete and cosy tinklings after our more euphoric initial moments, subdued in some late evening quiet time surrounding by the comforting familiarity of home. With the more physically intimate “Hands” introducing the guitar for the first time before blossoming into lively and multifaceted acoustic vigour, this initial trio essentially sets the entire pace and idiosyncratic musical outline for the rest of the record.

“Who Loves, Lives”, “Mediterraneo”, “Sweet Fall” and closer “Fairy Tale” all fall under the solo piano performance category, unwinding admittedly luxurious and simple movements that more or less follow the same construction: slow, careful and minimal beginnings, rising into passionate cascades of hard hammering enthusiasm, then slipping backwards to their origins before repeating. Whilst each track does have its own flavour and unique identity within the record, it does feel like they’re almost following a template and it becomes really quite noticeable as the the album goes by, almost to the point of distraction for me.

The other side revolves around guitar or piano introductions that slowly devolve into the many textured affairs ala “Hands”; “Alba” sees lightweight guitar pickings pave the way for more emotionally insistent piano before the violin strokes kick in at the end, which coincidentally is also more or less the same formula for “The Quiet Place”. That being said it’s clearly a less revisited approach than the piano reliant tracks and their more texturally complex and proactive attitude makes for refreshing and interesting listening when they do appear; “The Quiet Place” ranks amongst the best tracks of the record in its carefully balanced crescendo and thoughtfully private intimacies.

There are a few notable outliers to the somewhat formulaic approach though that are worth pointing out; “The Night” falls almost perfectly into the middle of the album and is perhaps the most refined and delicate piece offered. It’s twinkling piano chords tumble out of the darkness of its namesake and slowly gain traction and life in the wheeling lights, a pretty and sparkling little affair that basks in the quietly freeing night. Penultimate piece “Passport To The Moon” is certainly not far removed but is the most openly and consistently wistful and heartfelt piece here; doused in a definitive sense of loss and resignation it tinkles minimally along, catching some brief, shining moment of optimism right at the end of its sad span.

I love how expressive the piano as an instrument is, I always have, and in Bavota’s hand it’s a beautifully emotional tool, but there’s a sense here that on its own it’s not being taken to its maximum potential almost, that there’s a sense that Bavota doesn’t quite know where to take his creations and instead falls into the trap of idiosyncrasy and repetition. Don’t get me wrong this is a gorgeous listen and the tracks on their own are quite beautiful, some very much so, but sometimes I catch myself left with a feeling of deja vú listening to this if I find myself listening too closely. - Hearfeel

It's a strange day today. I got up quite early after a night with very little sleep. The weekend has been quite exhausting and I don't really know why. So today I will respectfully ignore the heavy stuff in our inbox and focus on some soothing sounds. Maybe everybody needs that once in a while, a flash of mindfullness in an obtrusive world. So thank you Bruno Bavota for sending me this beautiful piece of classical music.

Bruno Bavota is an Italian pianist and composer. Mediterraneo, his latest full-length, has actually nothing to do with the sea. This album is about love, harmony, dreams and warmth. According to the biography, the album was recorded on a dark night as an emotional experiment for the composer. Later it was represented during a tour in Japan. The emotions he must have felt during the recording session are clearly present in the music, as it is dreamy and warm, a bit like I imagine a summer night in Italy.

Mediterraneo opens with 'Interlude', which immediately sets the tone for the entire album. For the main part, these are gentle piano ballads, sometimes accompanied by violin or soundscapes. This combination makes 'Hands' and 'Alba' amazingly beautiful tracks. However, also the piano-only songs are excellent. Often the fade-out between one note and the next shows so much musical craftsmanship that the music almost becomes something magical.

'Who Lives, Lives' is a very strong piece of piano music that seems to represent a state of solitude. I can imagine that the composer felt lonely at times in this recording experiment and has captured that emotion brilliantly. This 'naked' feel is present in many songs. 'The Night' and title track 'Mediterraneo' also breathe this atmosphere. The latter even reminds me how the word 'meditation' is present in the title. This is indeed some very meditative music.

In a way this album reminds me of the music by people like Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm and Sebastian Plano but without the clear presence of electronics and percussion. Like the previously mentioned composers, Bavota knows how to turn classical inspired music into something that sounds very modern and very warm. This talent seems to have sparked a new interest in classical music, finding new listeners everywhere.

I love every second of this album, which at times almost moved me to tears, and I honestly recommend it to anyone who looks for a save haven in this stressful world and to anyone who listens to acts like A Winged Victory For The Sullen and similar artists. This is a brilliant piece of work and extremely welcome on a day like this... - Merchants Of Air

Le compositeur napolitain Bruno Bavota est de retour avec un nouvel album, « Mediterraneo », dans la droite lignée de son précédent essai « The Secret of the Sea ». Plongeons.

« Un bon capitaine transforme l’Atlantique en Méditerranée ; un mauvais capitaine transforme la Méditerranée en Atlantique » s’amusait Amin Maalouf dans « Le Périple de Baldassare ». Voilà un rapport de force littéraire que ne renierait probablement pas le compositeur italien Bruno Bavota.

Le Napolitain était déjà là, posé, posément, à nous parler de sa Méditerranée dans « The Secret of the Sea », un des albums les plus relaxants de l’année 2014. Être dominant entouré de quelques pérégrinations terrestres, la mer y retrouvait une certaine majesté, presque pureté, là où l’actualité lui oppose une autre forme de réalité, tragique, à Lampedusa ou Ceuta, là où les destins s’enchaînent et où les vagues se déchaînent.

« Mediterraneo » est à la fois, au vu de « The Secret of the Sea », un prolongement, une digression et un élargissement du propos.

« Mediterraneo could seems something tied to the Sea, but it’s something tied to our deep emotions. »

En comparaison de son précédent exercice auquel il sera (probablement) (presque logiquement) comparé, Mediterraneo renforce l’élégance d’une certaine introspection solitaire, la douceur d’un environnement aguicheur mais paradoxal, où se construisent les doutes et se déconstruisent les certitudes.

Prolongement élargi plutôt que rupture imprévisible, Mediterraneo est (et ce n’est pas innocent) signé chez les Russes de Dronarivm, ce qui n’est en rien le résultat d’une trajectoire anodine. Les 15 Shades of White publiés par cette signature moscovite en 2014, incluant des noms aussi recommandables que Pleq, Sophie Hutchings, Ben Lukas Boysen, Strië, Olan Mill ou Anne Chris Bakker restent en effet représentatifs d’une perception moins observatrice et plus analytique du monde qui nous entoure, la pression de la conclusion, la fin, la terminaison de nos espoirs et existences, plus prégnante que jamais.

Raymond Radiguet, terriblement perdu il y a près d’un siècle, jetterait presque le doute sur cette louable volonté esthétique : « Il en est des êtres comme des mers ; chez les uns l’inquiétude est l’état normal ; d’autres sont une Méditerranée, qui ne s’agite que pour un temps et retombe en bonace ». - Gwendal Perrin

Two things demand to be known about Mediterraneo before anything else. First of all, its title, so Neapolitan pianist/composer Bruno Bavota informs us, has nothing to do with the sea; for him, it stands for warmth (of the soul), light (of the heart), sharing, and love. Secondly, Bavota, in wishing to fully give himself over to inspiration, recorded the entire forty-three-minute album in a single day and, apparently, in the dark. While piano might appear to be his primary instrument, Bavota also is credited with acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and field recordings, and is joined by violinist Paolo Sasso and cellist Marco Pescosolido.

Anyone who's had a chance to hear Bavota's work before already knows that his is an intimate and romantic music overflowing with melody and free of cynicism. As a composer of unapologetically accessible music, he aspires to bring beauty into the world and soothe the listener's weary soul. Delicate piano and guitar melodies stripped of gratuitous embellishment appear in concise instrumental songs that are by turns evocative and lyrical. An occasional field recording taken from nature surfaces to bolster the atmospheric character of a song, and the string players enhance the material with elegant contributions that give the material a chamber-like quality (during “Alba,” their playing exudes an almost rustic, country tinge).

By his own admission Bavota's favourite song, the solo piano setting “Who Loves, Lives” is representative of the album's tone in the way it gracefully segues between melancholy and stately episodes. But while “The Night” does much the same two songs later, the composer ensures that variety is present on the album by alternating between piano and guitar as lead voices and blending the instruments in unpredictable ways. By way of illustration, the intense title setting follows its dramatic piano presentation with “A Quiet Place,” a lilting ballad featuring acoustic guitar, strings, and piano. While Mediterraneo provides a satisfying listening experience from start to finish, the prettiest of its many solo piano pieces is perhaps “Fairytale,” an elegant classical setting that concludes the release on a captivating note. - Textura

Treize mois après, Bruno Bavota livre un successeur à l’excellent The Secret of The Sea. Et, autant mettre fin au suspense d’emblée, Mediterraneo est tout sauf le contre-pied de son prédécesseur.

La découverte de la tracklist nous avait de toute façon mis la puce à l’oreille. Le champ lexical de la mer apparaît une nouvelle fois dans le titre de ce Mediterraneo dont le premier morceau est intitulé Interlude.

Au regard de la place occupée par ce morceau, l’auteur aurait pu choisir de le baptiser "Prélude". Il a opté pour Interlude. S’affranchir d’un opus majeur tel que The Secret of The Sea est tout sauf évident, et l’Italien a opté pour la césure plutôt que la rupture.

Désormais signé chez Dronarivm, Bruno Bavota figure parmi les artistes les plus accessibles du label. Le piano est son instrument de prédilection, les cordes frottées (Alba) n’intervenant qu’ici et là en complément tandis que la guitare se fait plus discrète que jamais. Très cinématographique, l’ensemble est à la fois propice au rêve, à l’isolement et au voyage.

Aucun bouleversement dans la recette de l’artiste n’est à détecter sur Mediterraneo, mais étions-nous en droit d’en attendre autant lorsque l’on s’appuie sur aussi peu d’ingrédients ? Si les cuisiniers actuels ont tendance à considérer que le véritable génie réside dans la virtuosité de la préparation, le chef Bavota aurait plutôt tendance à s’appuyer sur la fraîcheur et la qualité de ses matières premières.




Un choix profondément justifié d’autant plus que le jeu autour des contrastes (The Night) et le nécessaire soupçon de folie (Sweet Fall) sont bien présents.

Si l’analogie avec son compatriote Ludovico Einaudi frappera parfois l’auditeur, celle-ci mérite d’être déconstruite. L’environnement impacte nécessairement la nature même des compositions et à la réserve toute Turinoise d’Einaudi s’oppose un soupçon de désordre autocrate chez le Napolitain Bavota.

Durant ces quarante-trois minutes exclusivement instrumentales et orientées autour de son piano, l’artiste parvient à suspendre le temps avec une justesse une nouvelle fois indéniable. Impossible désormais de trancher entre The Secret of The Sea et Mediterraneo, chacun des volets de ce diptyque répondant à des codes similaires. Mais qu’importe, lorsque l’inspiration est au rendez-vous. - Indie Rock Mag

Ya os he hablado muchas veces de él. De Bruno Bavota. Lo he hecho con motivo de sus dos anteriores trabajos; "La Casa Sulla Luna" del año 2013 y "The Secret of the Sea", publicado el pasado 2014. Sin olvidarme, por supuesto, de aquel primer trabajo, "Il Pozzo D'Amor", del 2010. Y entonces os hablaba de brillantez, talento, emoción, exquisitez... Y en ambos casos mMusic tuvo el enorme privilegio de poder disfrutar de los dos trabajos mucho antes de su publicación, gracias a que el propio artista me lo hizo llegar. Por eso, y antes de nada, muchas gracias por esa generosidad...

Y de nuevo agradecido, porque el extraordinario compositor lo ha vuelto a hacer y ha hecho llegar a mMusic, meses antes de que salga a la luz, su último trabajo: "Mediterráneo", una auténtica maravilla musical, llena de intimidad, talento, pasión y emoción. Una intimidad que podemos entender y disfrutar con temas como "Home" donde escuchamos la lluvia cercana, grabada desde su propia casa, o "Who Loves, Lives" una composición extraordinaria que nos muestra el talento compositivo del artista napolitano.

Como protagonista absoluto, su piano, por supuesto, aunque hay temas como "Alba" o "A Quiet Place" en el que se comparte ese primer plano con una guitarra acústica limpia y cristalina, en una evolución musical que ya mostraba en su anterior "The Secret of the Sea". En cualquier caso, como en sus anteriores trabajos, Bruno nos regala una extraordinaria colección de composiciones románticas, íntimas, cercanas, sentimentales, emocionantes y exquisitas, de notas brillantes y llenas de genialidad.

Insisto en lo que ya os decía entonces. Me declaro incondicional del que, sin duda, es uno de los compositores y pianistas más interesantes de los últimos años, "Mediterráneo", que salió a la luz el pasado 25 de mayo, fue grabado en un día, en la oscuridad y es uno de esos trabajos que merecen todo la repercusión mediática porque es una joya musical, una pequeña obra maestra que no puede, ni debe, pasar desapercibida... Bruno Bavota es uno de esos genios compositivos que tienen algo especial, que son capaces de trasmitir lo que desean, de los que salen pocos cada mucho, mucho tiempo... No dejéis de escuchar el disco, es una auténtica maravilla. Gracias, de nuevo, Bruno por compartir tu arte... - mMusic