“Retrospection” is a musical journey between memory and hope, between solo piano and chamber ensemble. Preceded by the single “Hakan”, the album is released by the AreaLive label on April 25 and will be previewed with a showcase at the Auditorium Novecento in Naples on April 27. Francesco Taskayali, one of the most original composers on the contemporary neoclassical scene, announces the release of his new album, “Retrospection”, for the AreaLive record label on April 25 with the support of MiC and SIAE as part of the “Per Chi Crea” program.
A work that is at the same time an intimate reflection and a global sound map, where the piano – the main instrument of his works – dialogues with sax, bass and drums in arrangements that range from suspended minimalism to rhythmic tension.
The album, anticipated on April 11 by the single “Hakan” feat. Lorenzo Mancarella, will be presented with a showcase at the Auditorium Novecento in Naples on April 27 (starting at 21:30 pm, free entry).
The event is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the evocative atmospheres of an album that tells of roads, conflicts, migrations and silences.
“Retrospection”: an album between past and present
“Retrospection” is not a simple collection of songs, but a musical travel diary, which traces the last years of Taskayali’s artistic and human life. From the Floating Concerts on Lake Paola to the migrant ships off the coast of Sicily, from the protests in Hong Kong to the quiet of Ventotene, the album captures the essence of places where music becomes a witness, comfort and cultural bridge.
“This album is a return to the origins, but also a look forward,” says Taskayali. “I wanted to rework fragments of past compositions, blending them with new insights. Some songs were born in solitude, while others required a dialogue with other instruments, like the clarinet, which for me represents the human voice par excellence.”
A concept between real and dreamlike
His music – therefore the piano – is figuratively suspended between water and sky, a metaphor for an art that fluctuates between memory and future.
The mnemonic images that generate Taskayali's notes play with double exposures, calling upon the landscapes that inspired him: from the Pontine Marshes to the Bosphorus, from prisons to stormy seas.
The Naples Showcase Concert (April 27)
On the occasion of the album's release, Taskayali will perform an exclusive concert at the Auditorium Novecento in Naples on April 27, where she will present live the songs from “Retrospection” in an intimate version for piano and clarinet, with moments of improvisation and visual projections that will accompany the music.
“Naples is a city that has always been able to welcome different stories and sounds,” says Taskayali. “It will be exciting to play these songs here, in a place that is itself a crossroads of cultures.”
An artist without borders
Francesco Taskayali has played in 25 countries, bringing his music to unusual contexts: from the rebellious squares of Kiev to migrant ships, from abandoned theaters in Venezuela to hospitals during the pandemic. His artistic research has led him to challenge the boundaries between classical and experimental, between cultured performance and social commitment.
With “Retrospection”, Taskayali closes a circle and opens a new one: an album that is a love letter to music and the humanity that listens to it.
The album 'Retrospection' is interesting but I don't know if I like it that much, there are moments that seem boring to me and others that are very intense. The piano is beautiful, but sometimes a bit repetitive.