MANIFESTO​​​

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On Beauty And The Harmonious

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Polo Piatti does not follow fashionable trends or dismantle tradition simply to appear “avant-garde.” On the contrary, he believes the true future of classical music lies in building upon the legacy of the past - creating new works that respect, draw from, and evolve the foundations of the classical tradition. He is a passionate advocate for melody, consonance, and emotional expression in today’s contemporary classical landscape. Throughout his career, Piatti has remained steadfast in his commitment to writing music that strives for beauty. He believes that genuine beauty possesses a universal quality - rooted in symmetry, balance, and natural law - that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries. His music aspires to be as close to beauty as possible, not through abstraction, but through clarity, emotion, and structure.
This belief is more than artistic - it is a mission. Over the years, Piatti has shared his views widely through lectures, workshops, and soon, a book. He asserts that contemporary classical music need not be inaccessible or alienating; rather, it can - and should - connect with audiences through beauty and emotional honesty. He views the traditional understanding of music’s transformative power as a largely forgotten truth, one that urgently needs revival.
In the UK, Piatti has founded several initiatives to support his vision, including the Hastings Sinfonia, an orchestra dedicated to performing accessible, melodic works, and the International Composers Festival, which brings together composers from around the world to celebrate the creation of beautiful music for all.

“The prevailing trend still insists that contemporary classical music must be avant-garde and intellectual - often dissonant, atonal, and lacking melody. Music for the mind, not the heart. I firmly believe that in these challenging times, humanity needs music that touches the soul - melodic, tuneful music that inspires and even heals. That is my goal as a composer. If we ignore this, classical music risks becoming increasingly elitist and completely irrelevant.”

(Wilhelm Schwarzkopf, Bern, Switzerland, 1985 – Translated by Bill Taylor)​

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Evoking Emotional Responses

The power of Polo Piatti’s music lies in its emotional directness and its vivid, often cinematic imagery. Though deceptively simple on first hearing, his works reveal rich complexity - interwoven with technical grace and artistic refinement.
At the heart of Piatti’s music is a duality: the order and clarity of the Apollonian tradition - seen in works like Entangled Miniatures and parts of his oratorio Libera Nos - alongside the passion and intensity of the Dionysian spirit, fully realised in his Bohemian Piano Concerto. This synthesis allows his music to resonate across emotional and intellectual planes, creating a profound connection with listeners. For Piatti, composing is almost a spiritual act - rooted in the mysteries of nature and the cosmos. His work is informed by an understanding of elemental energies, seasonal cycles, and esoteric principles. Each composition is shaped not only by artistic intuition, but also by reflective study - resulting in works that are both inspired and intentional.
 

“My music stems from both spontaneous emotion and a deeper understanding of harmony, rhythm, and the natural world.”

 

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A Final Word

“Civilised man, living in a world riddled with artificiality, is in danger of forgetting primary phenomena. In our day it seems necessary to point out that melody is such a primary phenomenon, and that there has never been a period in history when melody was not the essence of what people considered to be music.” (Hans Gál, ‘Franz Schubert and the Essence of Melody’ (London, 1974)

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​​​​'Civilized man, living in a world riddled with artificiality, is in danger of forgetting primary phenomena. In our day it seems necessary to point out that melody is such a primary phenomenon, and that there has never been a period in history when melody was not the essence of what people considered to be music.'

Hans Gál (‘Franz Schubert and the Essence of Melody’ - London 1974)