Pilati: Art Songs

The life of Mario Pilati (1903–1938) was short, intense, and turbulent. As was common in many upper-middle-class Neapolitan families, he was introduced to music with his siblings from childhood. He immediately showed great talent as a pianist and exuberant creativity: by the age of 13, he had already decided that music would be his profession. His father tried to thwart his artistic calling by enrolling him in a technical school, but with his mother's help, he managed to continue his musical studies: at the age of only 20, he graduated with distinction from his composition studies at the Conservatorio S. Pietro a Majella in Naples under the guidance of Antonio Savasta. He immediately sought work to become independent of his family: his father not only disapproved of his musical career, but also rejected his engagement to Antonietta Margiotta, whom he married in 1928 and with whom he had three daughters. The award-winning specialists Manuela Custer (mezzo-soprano) and Raffaele Cortesi (piano) are the performers of the rediscovery of the vocal chamber music of a truly brilliant Neapolitan composer.