London, 2025

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Mirko Iannaccone is an Italian composer and performer who has just released his latest EP, Clouds. It is Iannaccone’s second solo EP after Ego in 2022, and is a delightful and surprising release in many forms. Intended to bring the listener on a journey through the clouds, the EP is also an interesting initiative for the composer to look back at the past years, both in his experience and in his influences. 

 

The opening piece “Clouds” is for Iannaccone, an introduction to Clouds and allows the listener to sample some of the leitmotifs of the EP — the intention is to bring the listener in a dreamlike state of mind. It is also a musical oxymoron balancing its melody on the extremes of the instrument, creating a call and response between a repeating cell and a middle range melodic phrase. Until eventually the pattern breaks in an agitated sheet of sound revealing a final sensitive melody. “Simulacrum”, another strong melodic work resonates with the previous piece through the idea of call and response being used again; however this time ,developing on the initial melody until a series of contrasting lyrical then dramatic sections. “Albertine Interlude” brings the tempo up with a post-minimalist intense pulsating structure of repeating rhythmic cells, based on the famous Alberti bass. “La Valse” — perhaps a hint at Tiersen work of the same title, evolves in a very different direction; the listener is indeed brought through a waltz of ideas and themes, wonderfully executed and inventive in their own ways. “Iris”, is a delicate and fragile melodic piece perhaps the most lyrical of Clouds, which through a sequential melody, balladeering over harmonic changes, grows over in momentum, dynamics and intensity. Eventually, “Feeling Over the Clouds”, the closing piece of what has been a short but intense in emotions and ideas musical voyage, finishes on a rhythmical ostinato and surprising harmonic twists.

 

Clouds is a fantastic introduction to Iannaccone’s piano works, and a great miniature conceptual project of its own. Demonstrating both the inventiveness of the composer, as well as his ability to translate and bring to life his creative ideas through impeccable pianistic technique. Clouds is an amuse-bouche to Iannaccone’s music, which the listener can only be curious of…