We recently had the chance to connect with Edoardo Gastaldi and have shared our conversation below.
Edoardo, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
People often hide deep within their souls the weight of their emotional struggles — may it be a long-term family discomfort, an intrinsic vulnerability to face intense feelings, or an emotional barrier that keeps people busy in everyday tasks, suppressing their human need to express sentiment. That is one of the core reasons why I decided to create music.
Yes, of course, I compose music for myself — aren’t all artists to some extent narcissistic?
But profoundly within, I create melodies for those who are lost and need to be found. I compose music with the hope and belief to help people leap in those tough decision-making moments of their lives. Music is a bridge that breathes out of the creator and reaches the listener as a dense form of “elan vital” (Thanks, Bergson): a non-physical force that perhaps is able to drive change, action, and dynamism.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
It’s a great pleasure to meet the Magazine Staff and all the Readers.
Edoardo Gastaldi here.
Born in 1998, I could define myself as a rather poliedric person, professionally involved in several sectors of interest, spanning from art to science, from cinema to academic education.
For this interview, I will stick to music, which is a great part of who I am, and through which I can draw with ease the foundations of my life vision.
I am an award-nominated film music composer based in Venice, Italy. My style combines slow piano lines with deep ambient atmospheres. The music I aim to create is a limbo between the frontier of repetitive post-classical minimalism and deep compositional ambient. With what I do, I propose to convey a philosophical thread of condensed melancholy and sparse hope.
After several years of music studies, helpful for formal training ranging from classical piano to music theory, in the summer of 2021, I started publishing my compositions and productions.
The influence of 17th-19th century pianists and the fascination for experimental edges make my music an ever-evolving equilibrium among Modern Classical, Ambient, and Post-Rock subgenres.
My approach is inspired by the sounds of foundational artists, including Johan Söderqvist, Hammock, Tony Anderson, Leonard Petersen, Atli Örvarsson, Stephen Porter, Ronit Kirchman, Sigur Rós, John Cage, and Nils Frahm.
According to press reviews (able to make me feel both incredibly proud and ashamed as a kid) , my work deeply reflects a desire to explore human fragility, paradoxes, and the complexities of existence. Over time, some soundtracks were described as capable of delving into the big consequences and underlying roots we can’t avoid.
In 2024, I scored the soundtrack for the multi-award-winning short film “Etilismo”, a story that delves into the sensitive issue of chronic alcoholism in youth.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
We are our own demise and our own heaven.
Communication between human beings is vital, and an incredibly underrated topic. Unfortunately, I see every day people, friends, relatives, choosing to direct their lives towards trajectories that diverge from what we as humans may truly need: understanding. We keep our minds busy running away from our instinct, from those one-time sparks, from being brave enough, from being humble enough to cherish small things and make them the core of our lives.
In this context, I use music as a tool (let me correct, I am the tool, while music is the wisdom stream!) to reach people’s minds and make them reflect on what matters, on what could matter form them. Therefore, communication in whichever sense—may it be visual, textual, verbal, melodic, becomes the seed to develop profound understanding, respect, and who knows, perhaps also more authentic relationships and bonds.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
There is someone else who is also walking this invisible road, quietly holding onto the same questions. Just have faith and take that leap. I wish I did many times.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
That is a tough question, which could make people shake and think about all they have done in their lives up to now.
I may feel fortunate enough to answer with a light and straightforward sentence: yes, I am every version of me.
I always had this attitude in life, in which I couldn’t fake things. So I ended up building only what is transparent, authentic. You could meet me one night or be my friend for two decades, but you will have known the exact same person. The environment I grew up in, and most importantly, the extremely dense connections that I had with thousands and thousands of people, helped me to just “be” in this world. As authentic as possible, with all the good and the bad that comes after this statement.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing?
Asking. We always regret not asking.
A dear friend of mine once told me, “Most of the time, it’s that easy, you only have to ask.”
Thanks, Yu.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.edoardogastaldimusic.it/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edoardo_gastaldi
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EdoardoGastaldiMusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/edoardo-gastaldi
Image Credits
Emma Gastaldi, Sara Halužan, Budapest Piano
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