Composition Competition: Walter Ferrato

Warning to those intending to participate in this competition that the sentence at the top of the announcement:

> Participation is open to musicians of any nationality, without age limits and without limitations regarding
> aesthetic orientations and compositional styles.

is a hoax.

The commission will only take into consideration ultra-sophisticated pieces, so do not waste your time if you are not perfectly in line with what interests them.

Videoclip wrote:

Warning to anyone intending to participate in this competition that the sentence at the top of the call for entries:

> Participation is open to musicians of any nationality, without age limits and without limitations regarding

> aesthetic orientations and compositional styles.

is a hoax.

The commission will only consider ultra-sophisticated pieces, so do not waste your time if you are not perfectly in line with what interests them.

"In case of disputes, the only legally valid text shall be this call for entries in the Italian language, complete with 10 (ten) articles. The Court of Savona shall have exclusive jurisdiction."

A call for entries is a call for entries, and whoever writes one commits to respecting its principles. If they do not respect them, they can be reported.

You, Videoclip, have preemptively accused a commission of people you do not know of not respecting the terms of the published call for entries. Perhaps you have information that we do not have, perhaps you have evidence in your drawer, environmental interceptions that confirm your accusations. Which are accusations.

I am the son of a Carabinieri marshal; I am an honest person, not like those who write "honesty" online; I am truly honest. And honesty is that thing that, if you are aware of a crime, makes you go to the Police Headquarters to report it.

Go to the Police Headquarters to report it.

I take what you write seriously. I do not treat you like a twelve-year-old seeking attention who writes insinuations online only because they cannot face the world around them. I take you seriously. You have written accusations; let actions follow the accusations.

Go to the Police Headquarters to report it.

Or shut up.

...maybe I know them all personally, Thallo. And besides, I don't see what the problem is; the expectation is for ultra-sophisticated pieces, so for users like Gino, who have a different aesthetic, it's better if they don't waste their time... or not, Gino, give it a try and then tell us about it.

The phrase I highlighted has become a trend; until a few years ago, no one used to include it... respect towards a candidate starts with respecting their aesthetic.

The fundamental thing in competitions, and I will never tire of saying it, is to propose good ideas spent in a credible way. Often ideas or credibility are lacking, which is why the results end up being disappointing.

It is certainly a commission used to high-level work. If one's own works are not mediocre, why not try? A lot of self-criticism is needed.

It is a first edition; for those who are undecided, I suggest waiting for the results and evaluating once everything is settled.

Videoclip, I repeat, you insinuated that the competition committee was ready to commit illegal acts. I cannot stand those who make conjectures without having proof. It is very fashionable, but it is vile. Vile. The web is full of vile insinuations that are not followed by a shred of action, whether it be the presentation of a piece to a competition because despite everything one thinks they are worth something, or whether it be a report for truly illegal conduct.

But you don't understand "what" the problem is, so...

Since I was even mentioned, I will intervene on the matter. As you know (or at least, as those who know me personally know), I am not a "professional" musician; however, when I can, I participate in some composition competitions (I recently submitted material for a competition, unfortunately I missed the one for the "5-minute piano concerto" in Zagreb because this summer I didn't have the time to write two notes). From my (modest) experience, I can say that, even if the "tone" of Videoclip's message may not be agreeable, there is a grain of truth to it. It is true that nowadays almost all calls for entries declare that they do not exclude any style a priori, but it is also true that the final judgment depends on the taste of the commission members, on what they actually consider valid. However, this is not an illegality and is in no way a crime to report to the police station. Simply put, one knows that certain pieces "might" be appreciated or not, and this depends not on the fact of having written parallel fifths but on what the commissioners deem valid. Probably, one way could be to search on YouTube for some pieces written by the composers on the commission and thus get an idea (in some cases I gave up participating a priori because I realized immediately that it would be wasted effort). On this occasion, for example, Dagfinn Koch is on the commission, a Norwegian composer who was present at some concerts of the Roma Tre Orchestra, on the occasion of the presentation of his compositions (obviously modern, but much more listenable than certain jumbles of noise that are heard so often around... or rather, "they can't be heard"!)

Ciao

Gino