Roberto Cacciapaglia
Contemporary Classical Composer & Pianist

Suraaj Parab (00:06.29) Today's guest is the visionary Italian composer and pianist Roberto Cacciapaglia—a pioneer who seamlessly blends classical tradition with electronic innovation in a deeply spiritual exploration of sound. From releasing Italy's first quadraphonic album, Sonanze, to performing at Carnegie Hall, and composing the "Tree of Life" for Expo Milano 2015—

Sandeep Kulkarni (00:21.582) —and topping international charts with Time To Be. His music transforms global stages into immersive sonic experiences. Roberto, welcome to The Artist Conversation, the Sanctuary of Frozen Souls podcast.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (00:55.275) Thank you so much for calling me. I'm very happy to share this moment with you and for everybody listening.

Sandeep Kulkarni (01:04.883) Absolutely. We are so excited and honored to have you. I'm going to jump right in. With such an amazing career spanning so many decades, you previously worked at RAI's Studio di Fonologia and with CNR Pisa, exploring the earliest applications of computers in music. When you see artificial intelligence composing today, do you feel this is a natural evolution or something fundamentally different?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:40.338) I must tell the truth: I have never actually asked artificial intelligence to compose, so I do not have that direct experience. But for sure, I think it can be a great help if we are the ones using it, rather than the opposite. It is the same with electronic instruments, computers, and telephones—we must remain the subject.

It is also like this with the human mind. People say, "The mind, the mind, we must work with the mind," but the mind must not govern us. That is a very important distinction. It is not just a question of an external "artificial" tool; inside of us, we face the same dilemma. The human mind itself can become artificial if it is disconnected from our true, eternal inner essence.

Sometimes the mind tries to govern us, and I think the same thing can happen with artificial intelligence. While I have never used it to create music, I do occasionally dialogue with ChatGPT—though I am not a great expert—and I find it very useful.

In my first album many years ago, I recorded the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra alongside computers, keyboards, and electronics. Even at that time, bringing those elements face-to-face with traditional acoustic instruments was seen as dangerous in a certain way. Whenever something radically new happens, we must be careful. But if you are highly alert and fully present in the moment, you can govern and utilize these powerful tools for something important without losing control.

Sandeep Kulkarni (04:01.0) You absolutely answered it. You’ve been a performing artist for decades and have witnessed all these major technological shifts firsthand. Your view comes from a very rich angle because you have seen exactly how music evolved alongside computers.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (04:36.17) My musical journey started when I was four years old. I must deeply thank my mother—I am grateful to her forever—because she insisted that I study the piano. I didn't want to do it. She kept pushing me until I was 11, at which point I was so completely bored that I refused to carry on.

She told me, "Okay, but you must learn another instrument." Because the era of Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles was just starting, I was very excited and chose the guitar. I expected someone who would teach me to play like Bob Dylan, but a very old professor arrived with a classical guitar to teach me Andrés Segovia and Miguel Llobet! I was desperate.

I joke about it now, but I eventually started playing guitar with a band in school. At that exact point, I began to live music as a pure joy and a shared experience—an integration of life, rather than just an academic exercise.

Later on, I began working extensively with electronic music. I studied at the Studio di Fonologia, which was originally founded by Luciano Berio and Bruno Maderna, and I also worked at the National Research Council's computer music institute in Pisa, which was incredibly important at the time.

They housed massive computers operated by very serious scientists in white lab coats. We would take the works of Bach and Beethoven and process them using sinusoids and oscillators. This allowed me to approach music from a full 360-degree perspective—without borders, divisions, or rigid hierarchies.

Throughout my life, I have carried on in this way. My ultimate goal in music is to provide a service rather than pure entertainment. Music can be a powerful instrument of evolution for humanity. Sound frequencies travel through mountains and across the universe—they never stop. We must learn to utilize this.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (07:43.529) One day I really hope to meet both of you in person. I have spent time in California and India, and both places are completely beautiful. In India, I visited deeply spiritual places like Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Varanasi, Delhi, and Dharamshala, which sits high up near the Himalayas. I have also traveled all over California—San Francisco, Los Angeles, and many other areas.

Sandeep Kulkarni (08:18.838) If you are ever back out here, please let me know, because I would love to meet you.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (08:30.0) Thank you very much. And if you ever come to Milan, you are welcome to join me for some real pizza or spaghetti!

Sandeep Kulkarni (08:37.974) Which part of Italy are you based in?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (08:41.21) I live in Milan, in the north of Italy. But my mother is originally from Sicily and my father is from Puglia, so his roots are in the deep south. It is a rich mix because the south and the north of Italy can feel like two completely different countries, but we integrate all of it.

Suraaj Parab (09:07.643) For me, speaking with you is a dream come true. When I first started my journey as a musician, I had only two major idols: Yanni and yourself. Back in the '90s, I used to listen to cassettes of your albums at home constantly. This is a true fan moment for me. Thank you so much for coming.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (09:42.714) Oh, thank you so much, it is a true pleasure and joy for me. May I ask you a question in return? What is the core philosophy behind your podcast? Do you focus primarily on contemporary music, philosophy, or a blend of fields?

Suraaj Parab (10:05.839) The Artist Conversation is part of an international creative community that Sandeep and I founded called The Sanctuary of Frozen Souls. Our goal is to gather distinct artistic minds from all over the world—whether they are painters, writers, or musicians—to celebrate and promote true originality. We would love to formally invite you to be a part of our community.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (10:22.439) Oh, fantastic! I would absolutely love to be a part of this community. Thank you so much.

Suraaj Parab (10:33.135) Through these conversations, we share the unique perspectives of artists who have conquered their own creative journeys.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (11:07.103) This is a beautiful, fantastic goal. Congratulations. Our world is often filled with darkness, and we deeply need initiatives like this to project light, luminosity, and awaken the greatness that resides inside each of us. Light and eternity are part of our fundamental human nature, and sound has the unique power to awaken those hidden parts of us in an epoch where everyone is constantly busy.

Sandeep Kulkarni (12:14.734) I am currently based in San Diego County, in a beautiful beach town called Oceanside, California. It sits right between Orange County and San Diego.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (12:29.646) Yes, San Diego has a very rich cultural presence. It is a beautiful area.

Sandeep Kulkarni (12:38.382) Southern California is incredibly calm and laid-back. It allows you to slow down.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (13:05.975) We deeply need to slow down. I hope to perform out there one day. On my previous American tours, I visited Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Miami, and we are currently having conversations about a project in Chicago. I would love to extend that journey to see you.

Suraaj Parab (13:34.962) Returning to your early work with computers: in 1976, you released Sonanze, which was Italy's very first quadraphonic LP. What sonic dimensions were you searching for that a traditional stereo system couldn't deliver?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (14:12.313) That is a very interesting question. Sonanze represents the definitive meeting point between my academic training in computer music at the conservatory and my practical experience playing in rock groups.

At the time, the academic world was deeply focused on the rigid, structured dissonances of the Second Viennese School—Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. On the other hand, rock music was a powerful medium of communication, driven by icons like Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, and Pink Floyd. I wanted to create something entirely free of borders, hierarchies, and artistic divisions. I wanted all influences to remain open. I took the concepts of "dissonance" and "assonance," stripped away the limitations, and found Sonanze—a neutral space where music could exist without boundaries.

Quadraphonic sound was a tool that helped us visualize and physically feel the movement of audio frequencies through space. It mirrors what happens naturally with harmonics. Every single sound we perceive is actually composed of millions of microscopic harmonic frequencies; we merely have the illusion that sound is something solid and material. This is a concept understood not only by Pythagoras but by modern quantum physics.

A traditional stereo system gives us two linear channels, but you completely lose the perception of sound rotating through a three-dimensional space. With quadraphonic sound, the listener is placed directly in the center of the acoustic event.

I was working in Germany at the time alongside electronic groups like Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh. Ultimately, quadraphonic audio was too commercially difficult to sustain for the average consumer, so it gradually faded from the market. However, it is the direct ancestor of modern developments like Dolby Atmos, which we use today. The goal was never to satisfy an intellectual or mental proposition; it was to create a visceral, emotional experience that allows the listener to fully participate in the life of the sound. The human mind is very happy when it is handed abstract ideas, but my work is focused elsewhere.

Suraaj Parab (18:20.685) You mentioned Pythagoras, whose teachings are prominently featured throughout your work and across your historical documentation. Did you possess a deep interest in mathematics alongside your music?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (18:54.312) Yes, mathematics is a functional language and an instrument we use to map how music and harmonics interact. Pythagoras has always been a central focus of my research, and I even composed a major opera based on his life for the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, which is one of the most prestigious academies in Italy.

Pythagoras was a spiritual master who worked with the wisdom and awareness of sound. He understood that notes are spherical. I apply this concept constantly when I perform. If I am sitting at the piano playing a beautiful melody but my mind is distracted—thinking about what I am going to eat for dinner—the music does not work. But if I am completely present in the moment and feeling every single frequency, the notes fill with a distinct internal chemistry.

When you play with that level of presence, the musician and the audience meet at a profound level that transcends ordinary hearing. It opens up a dimension that we rarely perceive in daily life, which is why sound is a sacred service. It acts like a prayer. If you tell someone "I love you" or recite a prayer from any religion, but your heart and mind are completely elsewhere, those sounds remain entirely on the surface. But when your body, soul, and mind unite as one, something genuinely grows alive.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (22:13.045) The audience intuitively feels this presence. At the end of my concerts when I greet the audience, I can see a distinct luminosity in their eyes—it creates a sense of breathing space inside and outside. That is the ultimate proof that the alignment works.

Sandeep Kulkarni (22:46.338) That is deeply thoughtful. I have a tremendous appreciation for that perspective, especially since my background is in physics. When you composed Aurea Carmina, utilizing texts by Pythagoras for the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, what ancient understanding of sound were you trying to revive for the modern world?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (23:54.076) It is very similar to deep evolutionary practices like yoga or the lineages of great Indian masters such as Nisargadatta Maharaj and Paramahansa Yogananda, whose teachings I have followed for a very long time. When you connect with a master, you must become like an empty vase so that they can pour their wisdom and knowledge inside of you.

With Aurea Carmina, I tried to connect with that ancient lineage of awareness—whether it comes from Sufi, Indian, Tibetan, or early Christian traditions. This timeless knowledge is incredibly useful for humanity today. If we are born into this specific epoch, we have a responsibility to create something meaningful and offer everything we have to the world.

My intention is to work with the deeper, sacred qualities of the sound rather than focusing on music as mere surface entertainment. The entertainment industry is already fully formed; they do not need me there. I want to use sound as it was used in ancient times to open pathways to deeper knowledge.

Today, we have the incredible advantage of modern science, mathematics, and quantum physics to validate what the ancient geniuses understood purely through intuition. I previously collaborated with the American minimalist composer Terry Riley when he was my guest for a concert series in Italy. We recorded a project together with my ensemble, tracking his piece Keyboard Studies. Terry is deeply connected to traditional Indian classical Raga music, which is built around cycles and repetition. But for me, the most important element across any style is remaining entirely present in the current moment. Otherwise, the mind constantly drags us into the past or the future.

Suraaj Parab (28:11.853) When I listened to your music growing up, two prominent stylistic elements always stood out to me: minimalism and repetition. How has your relationship with structural minimalism influenced your use of silence within a composition?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (28:49.821) To tell you the truth, I do not consciously consider myself a strict minimalist, with the exception of my early album Sei Note in Logica, which was a very precise experiment combining repetitive structures with electronic elements. Minimalism is simply one tool among many.

Unlike many contemporary academic composers who reject melody as being too sentimental or emotional, I work extensively with melody. A simple, direct melody has the power to move the human soul like a direct ray of sunlight. Harmony is fascinating, but it is architectural and appeals largely to the mind. I try to marry melody, harmony, and rhythm together.

However, we must be careful with rhythm because heavy rhythm cuts up and divides space. In modern times, humanity has become terrified of open space and silence, so they use constant rhythm to fill the void. This can cause the internal frequencies of the music to lose their life. I like space, and I am not afraid of it. Space is our natural condition; we are like oceans inside of it. While minimalism is a beautiful movement that I highly respect, I wouldn't classify my entire identity under that label.

Sandeep Kulkarni (31:28.312) It is fascinating how you differentiate harmony as being structural and architectural, while melody represents immediate emotion. I have never thought of it that way. Turning to your live performances: you performed a landmark concert at Carnegie Hall in 2019 and were voted the best live act. What did that milestone mean to you after decades of sonic experimentation?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (32:09.115) It was certainly a beautiful moment that was very satisfying for my ego! Carnegie Hall is an iconic, deeply historical venue, and performing in New York was fantastic.

But looking beyond that, I am increasingly interested in music that completely loses its superficial roots. This began with Sonanze, where I wanted to strip away divisions. I allow myself to be influenced by everything—baroque music, Jimi Hendrix, Stockhausen, and Terry Riley. However, this is the exact opposite of the traditional concept of "fusion." I dislike fusion, which often feels like randomly mixing tuna fish and cake together!

Instead, it is about being entirely open to diverse experiences—whether they come from Brahms, Beethoven, or the Beatles—until you arrive at a point where the music sheds its external passport. When you reach that deep space of pure light and sound, nobody asks if you come from jazz, folk, classical, or electronic backgrounds. Frontiers and borders completely disappear.

Whether I am performing in the United States, Turkey, China, London, or Italy, as soon as the audience strips away their ordinary armor and surrenders to the sound, all cultural differences vanish. You are no longer an isolated drop in the ocean; you become the ocean itself. The audience and the musician integrate into one massive, singular voice.

Music and art are meant to move us in the exact opposite direction of war, division, and conflict. It deeply affects me that after centuries of human experience, our society is still engaging in war. Sound and art carry a immense responsibility to project a beautiful, alternate direction for humanity.

Suraaj Parab (36:33.233) Namaste, Roberto. One of my favorite albums from your extensive discography is Diapason, which you recorded alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in the UK.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (37:48.929) Yes, I have recorded five albums with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road. Diapason carries a deep symbolic meaning. A diapason [tuning fork] represents the natural, foundational root of sound. Everything is brought into alignment through it—it tunes the chords, the orchestra, the instruments, and ultimately, the human soul.

It is conceptually very close to Sonanze. If you look at the cover art for Sonanze, it features an image of a traditional Italian instrument called the scaccia pensieri [mouth harp], which literally translates to "that which drives away thoughts." It functions similarly to the Australian didgeridoo. When old farmers in Sicily played it, the localized physical vibration would instantly quiet the mind. The human mind can often behave like a wild monkey, constantly jumping from one frantic thought to another without control. But the sonic frequency of these instruments anchors you. Symbolically, Diapason does the exact same thing. It brings us back to the note A, which is the foundational root frequency of sound.

People frequently debate the merits of tuning to 432 Hz versus the standard 440 Hz. While 432 Hz is a highly interesting frequency, I always tell people that if you tune your instrument to 432 Hz but you are not internally centered within yourself, the frequency doesn't matter. Conversely, if you are completely centered and present, the music will work beautifully even at 440 Hz or 442 Hz.

I follow the teachings of the spiritual master George Gurdjieff, who composed sacred music alongside Thomas de Hartmann. He noted that it is very easy to play beautifully when you are handed a flawless, pristine Steinway grand piano. But if an artist can sit down at a poor, broken piano and still project something profound from their soul, that holds infinitely more value.

Sandeep Kulkarni (40:59.99) Moving on to your large-scale public compositions: you composed the massive "Tree of Life" suite for Expo Milano 2015, performing it with the Teatro alla Scala Academy Orchestra. How do you go about translating a monumental, global symbol into a localized experience of sound?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (41:26.838) I approach it from the opposite direction: it is the internal sound that manifests outward to become global. I experienced this clearly when composing for the Olympic Games as well. Whether you are performing inside a massive stadium in front of 100,000 people or broadcasting to millions, the music must always start from absolute silence.

Everything is born from silence. Unlike the impressionist approach of composers like Debussy or Ravel, who would observe the physical movement of the sea and the sky and write La Mer, I start from an internal landscape. Silence is like a calm, perfectly still lake. It allows me to reach a deep, meditative state internally. If I am anchored in that state, the resulting sound naturally expands outward to reach people at that same profound level.

If we want to change the world, we cannot rely on superficial revolutions; we must start by changing ourselves first. Otherwise, we carry the exact same structural mistakes into the future.

When I compose, I think in terms of the relationship between the microcosm and the macrocosm. A single piano or a lone soloist represents an intimate microcosm. An entire orchestral arrangement represents the macrocosm, stretching out like the planets. When I am faced with a massive public symbol like the "Tree of Life" or the Olympic Games, I always begin with the infinitesimal—with the single note, the single human soul. Once that root is established, I can open it up to a massive orchestra. The outer universe is ultimately one integrated whole, and each of us is the exact center of it. Art is simply the external manifestation of an inner state of being.

Suraaj Parab (45:53.81) Your music has soundtracked major global events, including guiding Italy's rhythmic gymnastics team to an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (46:21.36) Yes, they won the gold, which was a magnificent achievement. I recently returned to Tokyo for an art museum exhibition with Bulgari, and I have also done major stadium events in Qatar. It is an incredible experience to witness music operating on that scale, and I hope to bring similar expansive performances to India and the United States soon.

Sandeep Kulkarni (47:40.558) Since our podcast launched recently in January, Suraaj and I have wanted to create a cross-cultural dialogue like this for a long time. Suraaj is a composer and pianist, and I am a vocalist. I have trained daily in both Western classical music and traditional Indian classical vocals.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (48:38.95) Wow, that is a fantastic combination. Both traditions are completely rich and beautiful.

Sandeep Kulkarni (48:39.442) It is a continuous learning process—just a drop in the ocean. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been immersed in both musical worlds since childhood.

Suraaj Parab (49:16.203) I have composed several instrumental piano works that sit in a similar contemporary classical genre to your own compositions.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (49:25.771) Fantastic. Please send your recordings to me through Elena; I would be more than happy to listen to your work. In fact, you are both warmly welcome to visit my studio in Milan whenever you come to Italy. You can record voice and piano here—we have a beautiful grand piano and full tracking capabilities. I will send you photos of the space.

Suraaj Parab (49:57.522) That would be an absolute honor.

Sandeep Kulkarni (50:02.574) I also wanted to ask you about your album Invisible Rainbows, which you recorded in Dolby Atmos with I Virtuosi Italiani. Do you find that immersive, multi-dimensional audio technology physically brings the listener closer to a state of conscious awareness?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (50:55.186) Yes, absolutely. Because the sound arrives wrap-around from every direction, it creates a much stronger, more immersive emotional experience. I am currently preparing to implement this exact multi-dimensional setup for my upcoming concert tour in Italy.

For several years now, I have also made it a tradition to invite the audience to actively sing with me during live concerts. We will establish a continuous drone on the note A—which we call la—and the entire audience sings together. It creates an immediate, interactive alchemy that bridges the gap between the inside and the outside.

Suraaj Parab (52:22.385) During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, you composed the poignant piece Days of Experience. How did the sudden, global silence of that isolation affect your creative writing process?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (52:50.226) It affected me deeply because humanity was thrust into a very difficult, fragmented situation that was the exact opposite of connection and integration. I composed Days of Experience to document that profound period.

I utilized social media to stream live performances for my audience as a way to keep us anchored together despite the physical distance. During that era, we felt like isolated islands separated by a vast ocean. But I always reminded people that we are like an archipelago: on the surface, the islands appear completely separate, but if you dive deep down to the seabed, our roots are made of the exact same continuous earth.

Sandeep Kulkarni (54:04.05) You have also collaborated with Nobel Laureates across poetry and science, such as Derek Walcott and the legendary neuroscientist Rita Levi-Montalcini. What has working alongside pioneers of literature and neuroscience taught you about the intersection of sound and consciousness?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (05:06.722) It taught me that poetry, neuroscience, spirituality, and sound are simply different access points to the exact same fundamental reality. For Rita Levi-Montalcini, I composed a piece called "Radiosa Mind" [Radiant Mind], celebrating the human mind's power to transmit clarity, vision, and light across reality.

We deeply need this clarity today. It concerns me when I see young people turning toward violence and conflict globally. This is a shared responsibility, and those of us in the arts must use our platforms to project something beautiful to replace that darkness. Whether it is through poetry, painting, film, or music, the conscious intention behind the work is everything. If you plant a seed with pure, positive intention, something beautiful will inevitably grow. But if the root seed is negative, nothing good can come of it.

Sandeep Kulkarni (57:20.526) That is remarkably profound. My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy soon, and visiting your studio would be incredible.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (57:31.773) Please, come! You will be my official guests, and we can track music or even record an episode of your podcast live from the studio.

Sandeep Kulkarni (57:46.094) Suraaj, we should send Roberto the classical operatic piece we recently collaborated on. It was my very first time attempting to sing lyrics in Italian and tracking vocals in an operatic style. It was a major challenge since I don't speak the language, but a colleague from Sicily helped guide my phonetics.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:00:04.213) That sounds like an incredible challenge! Please send it over, I am very eager to hear it. How did the two of you initially connect to build this podcast across the United States and India?

Suraaj Parab (01:00:36.333) Sandeep was originally born and raised here in Mumbai before relocating to the United States for his career. Fourteen years ago, we were introduced by a mutual friend when Sandeep returned to India to produce a Bollywood track. He needed a bass player, and since I play bass alongside piano, we met at his hotel and instantly bonded over our shared musical visions. We have been writing original music together ever since.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:01:28.204) What a fantastic story. Next time, we must bring that collaborative energy to Italy!

Suraaj Parab (01:01:49.572) That would be an absolute dream. As a composer, I want to know: what does your internal creative process look like the exact moment you sit down to manifest a new composition out of nothing?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:02:51.245) As I expressed before, I always begin with absolute silence. I quiet my mind until I reach a pure, entirely calm state. From that stillness, the most authentic ideas emerge.

Once the music begins to surface, I evaluate the frequencies to see if they possess the raw structural power to emotionally move a listener. When the melody, the tonality, and the core frequency align to create a distinct emotional alchemy, I focus all my energy on developing that theme.

Suraaj Parab (01:04:34.339) That aligns beautifully with what Yanni described in his interviews—the philosophy of completely surrendering yourself to the music without judgment, allowing whatever is in your heart to flow out completely uninhibited.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:05:16.412) Yes, absolutely. I must study Yanni's discography deeper. Where is he originally from?

Suraaj Parab (01:05:55.909) He was born in Greece, on the beautiful island of Santorini, before moving to the United States.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:05:56.522) I know Santorini well, it is a magnificent island. I will certainly listen to his work.

Sandeep Kulkarni (01:06:16.428) From Ferrari World Abu Dhabi to massive FIFA World Cup performances, how do you manage to transform these monumental corporate public arenas into deeply spiritual sonic experiences?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:06:37.674) It comes down to starting with the soul of the melody and utilizing a deliberate audio architecture. I blend the grand tradition of a classical acoustic orchestra with advanced electronic instrumentation.

Rather than using standard digital modeling, I work with specialized software designed to mathematically analyze and expand the natural, organic acoustic properties of the piano and the strings. It visualizes the behavior of harmonics across a physical space, showing how a single note is actually constructed from an array of different interacting frequencies.

When you combine that scientific understanding with a deeply emotional melody, you can project a powerful experience to millions of people. My music resonates in these massive public spaces because it doesn't originate from an intellectual agenda. It requires no formal explanation. You feel it immediately, just as you feel the beauty of a sunset. It touches you directly.

Suraaj Parab (01:09:41.996) Your warmth and approach to teaching music deeply reminds me of my late mentor, the iconic Indian bassist Karl Peters, who always taught me with that exact same depth and generosity. Thank you for sharing that beautiful spirit with us today. To close our conversation: after performing across the globe, from the Mariinsky Theatre in Russia to the Shanghai Opera House, what do you believe is the singular essence that unites all human cultures through music?

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:11:01.754) It is our pure, shared human nature, which is identical across every corner of this planet and the universe. Music possesses a magnificent quality: it is entirely invisible.

Unlike a movie, a painting, or a novel, music doesn't dictate specific visual boundaries. Whether there are three people or millions of people listening to the exact same melody, the internal experience remains entirely intimate, subjective, and personal to each individual. It is simultaneously the most intimate art form and the most social, because it expands everywhere.

No matter where I travel—China, Russia, the United States, Italy, or Turkey—I am continually reminded that we are far more similar than we are different. We are all human beings traveling with a soul, and we all share the same fundamental desire to be happy. Music makes it beautifully clear that we are not alone. It reminds us that we are bound together, and we must navigate this life in peace and love.

Sandeep Kulkarni (01:12:43.982) That is beautiful. Roberto, thank you so much for sharing this space and your extraordinary journey with us. From your earliest computer music research to global concert hall stages, your search for the pure essence of sound is incredibly inspiring. Thank you.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:13:10.491) Thank you very much to both of you, and to everyone listening to our conversation. I hope to see you very soon so we can share music together. Goodbye, thank you.

Suraaj Parab (01:13:23.665) This conversation is a beautiful testament that music is far more than a mere arrangement of notes or a live performance; it is a profound state of awareness, vibration, and the courage to unite human tradition into one global voice.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:13:49.955) That is a fantastic ending. You have spoken the exact right words at the perfect moment. Thank you, Suraaj and Sandeep.

Sandeep Kulkarni (01:13:57.822) To our global audience listening to us today alongside maestro Roberto Cacciapaglia, thank you for sharing in this experience. If these insights resonated with you, please share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Explore Roberto’s exceptional body of work across his official website, Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram. We will see you all on the next episode of The Artist Conversation. Thank you, everyone.

Roberto Cacciapaglia (01:14:33.061) Thank you very much from my heart. Ciao, thank you.