Parafrasi, ossimori, narrazioni sonore nella musica di Sebastian Hilli

When defining the musical language of a contemporary composer, there is a tendency to simplify the issue by focusing on a simple distinction linked to tonality or the degree of “consonance” of the material used, thus dividing the field between experimental or avant-garde composers and those known as “neotonal” or “neoromantic”. This is a practical interpretation, but it is outdated and completely unsuitable for understanding some of the interesting musical developments of the 21st century, as well as for explaining the stylistic evolution of many composers who have gone through very different creative phases (such as Arvo Pärt or Magnus Lindberg). The issue is in fact more complex and also more interesting, because the originality of a musical language must be understood beyond the surface of the sound material used. A case in point is the very recent and concentrated example of Sebastian Hilli, a Finnish composer who emerged on the international scene only a decade ago, but who in this short period of time has greatly modified his style, in an apparently backward journey from experimental to neotonal. Analysing his scores, it is clear that this is instead a progressive focusing on a precise, highly personal musical dramaturgy based on the friction between contrasting sound worlds.