by Virginia De Masi
MONTECARLO. Massimiliano Greco is an excellent Italian pianist and composer. He has been writing music for a long time specializing in music for choreography and for classical dance lessons. His work is in great demand also abroad where he contributes to promoting and spreading the great Italian musicality.
Through his work and his production, Massimiliano Greco wishes to make known a new literature in the music scene: music written for classical dance lessons. He was only six years of age when standing by the piano in some friends’ house he randomly pushed the keys with his little fingers. Not really by chance, in truth, because touching the keys he realized he had the talent to create real melodies. Winner of international competitions, his music is known all over the world. Since September 2010 he has been the on-site main pianist and head of the music department at “Les Ballets de Monte Carlo / Académie Princesse Grace.”
Talking to us in the Hall of “Les Ballets de Monte Carlo” Greco has confided to us that music is “absolutely his whole life”.
MCT: Maestro, how did you run into music?
MG: “I was very young. My mother was a music lover; I remember one evening we went to a friend’s house where there was a piano. I got closer, I started pushing on the keys and, incredibly, real melodies began to come out. So, everybody understood that there was a real predisposition in me. “
MCT: How did come to your soul the passion for writing music, especially for classical dance?
MG: “I accidentally approached the world of dance, partly watching all the TV shows of “Italy gets talents / Saranno Famosi ” where there was a pianist, and because there was a dance school under our apartment floor. One day I asked the owner if they needed a pianist and it has been from that moment that I started composing music for dance lessons “.
MCT: Tell us about a place where you played, and that you can’t forget …
MG: “Certainly it is the city of Lucca, where I won an international competition dedicated to Liszt, and where I was rewarded by Wagner’s great-grandso; but also a tour in Germany was a great moment and then again when I played on Rai”.
MCT: If you could go back, would you still be a pianist?
MG: “Absolutely yes, but I would do it in another way; I would be more methodical, and I would dedicate more time to composition”.
MCT: What do you suggest to a young applicant and what are the right ingredients to become a pianist?
MG: “
“It is crucial to have the precise, deep conviction that you want to become a pianist, and then study until the last day of your life. It is also essential to choose a good teacher and listen to a lot of music “.
MCT: What must change in Italy to enhance art, and if you had a magic wand what would you do?
MG: “Italy has everything within, she needs a greater attention to art in general from politicians”.
MCT: What is most exciting when you play during dance lessons?
MG: “I am always looking for the dancers’ passion, I love to see something actually enthusiastic in their faces, in their smiles”.
MCT: Your next projects?
MG: “To continue composing music; my dream is that my music be known as much as possible and in as many places as possible”.
MCT: How did you cope during the lockdown?
MG: “I composed like a devil day and night, always.”
MCT: The most beautiful thing in your career?
MG: “The best thing is that my two daughters are totally mad of my music.”
MCT: Is your passion for music your only love or can you tell us something more?
MG: “I have always divided my artistic career and private life, but I must say that the love for my family made me compose floods of music”.
Thanks a lot for your time, Master Massimiliano Greco! Montecarlotimes is wishing you endless success!