Yugawara Town in Kanagawa Prefecture has had a friendship city partnership with Tivoli City in Italy since September 2016. Tivoli City, located about 30 km east of Rome, is a historic resort town that dates back to ancient Roman times. It seems that the town of Yugawara has been promoting exchanges at the private level for many years, mainly through the Chamber of Commerce. The two towns have one thing in common: they share a tourist resource called "hot springs." With an eye on the future use of hot springs and the promotion of attracting foreign tourists, the two towns have come to form a friendship city partnership.
Recently, as part of a cultural exchange program, we invited Pino Forastiere, a guitarist who lives in Tivoli, to perform a concert. The venue was the Hinoki Charity Concert Hall, known for its warm space made entirely of cypress. We spoke to Pino before the performance, in a great location overlooking the sea.
What made you start playing the guitar?
When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my older brother gave me a guitar as a gift. My father loved opera, so I grew up in an environment where music was always playing, which may have influenced me, but I studied classical guitar at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome.
He developed and plays an original instrument called a 16-string guitar.
I wanted a guitar with a wide range of tones, from low to high, like a piano, so I shared my ideas with the master craftsman Davide Serracini and he made one for me. I really like this guitar because it gives you an orchestral sound with just one instrument. All the songs on the album "Village Life" that I released last year were played on this 16-string guitar.
I understand this is your first visit to Japan.
Yes, that's right. Being so far away from Italy, I felt a mysterious charm in Japan. I performed a concert in Tokyo with Mishima, but wherever I go, everything feels fresh and exciting like a child (laughs).
I had the image of Tokyo as a hectic city, but Yugawara is rich in nature and calm. Maybe it's because the atmosphere is similar to that of Tivoli where I live.
What's important to me is to always be relaxed in life. Whether it's making music or thinking about an artistic project, it's important to have peace of mind.
The Hinoki Hall is filled with the scent of wood and is a very relaxing space.
Kanagawa Prefecture is promoting the "Magnet Culture (Magcul)" initiative with the idea of "attracting people with the appeal of culture and the arts and creating a lively local community."
Culture and the arts attract people - that's absolutely true!
I believe that by bringing together various arts such as music and fine arts, the circle of people and the excitement will expand even further.
I have also participated in the New York Guitar Festival, where I was able to meet people from many different countries and regions, which was a great asset.
For me, music is a bridge that allows me to communicate with people.
Pino Forastiere
Pino Forastiere
Composer and guitarist. He studied classical music (6-string/10-string) at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, and then expanded his field to contemporary and rock. His genre-crossing compositions and performance techniques continue to be loved by guitarists and musicians around the world, and he regularly performs at concerts and festivals in Europe, the United States, and Canada.
