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 TECLADOS, PIANO . Alex Staropoli es el agradable digitador tecladista de Rhapsody, también como uno de los dos (con Luca) que trabaja en los interludios clásicos. Él también crea todos los arreglos orquestales. Las mas destacables influencias que han inspirado su trabajo son Bach, Händel y Telemann. También Alex quiere seguir el camino de Luca y ha tomado la desición de probar su suerte con un album sólo, pero aún no sabemos nada hacerca de aquello. Las bandas favoritas de Alex son Stratovarius, Van Halen y Queen. Date of birth? January 9th, 1970 City of birth? I was born in Trieste/Italy, a small town between the sea and the mountains. Name of your father, mother, sister, brother (older or younger?)? My father's name is Gioachhino, my mother's name is Lina. I have a brother, Manuel who is a talented flautist and who often plays with Rhapsody. He is 22 years old. Are you married? Do you have children? I am not married and don't have any children yet. But I am working hard to ensure that my future family will have financial security. Where did you go to school? I went to school in Trieste. When did you pass your examinations and with which degree? I left school with good marks several years ago. But I still hold the same views about school as I did then: it is very important to learn something, but that does not mean that you have spend half your life with your nose in a book. I wanted to play music since I was small, that is why I invested a lot of time in learning and studying piano and keyboards. Did you study? What is your profession? I did not take higher education but sometimes I would like to know more about the spiritual and psychical sides of life (in order to understand better the secrets of our bodies and the power of our souls). But studies on that subject take more time than a person would ever have in his lifetime. When did you start making music? I began playing when I was ten. Luca and I met by chance and we discussed our tastes in music. Then we decided to combine his metal-oriented guitar playing with my orchestrations and thus create something new, something that had never existed in heavy metal before. What was the first instrument you learned? The first instrument that I learned was the piano. I felt an affinity to this instrument right from the start. Thanks to my studies, I can work on my compositions and arrangements with more intensity than may otherwise be possible. What was the first instrument you bought? My first instrument was a piano. It was a gift from my parents and was a wonderful surprise. What is your current equipment? My current equipment is very simple: Korg 001 pro + Oberheim MC 3000 (live master keyboards), for live samples I use a AkaI DR 16. What was the first record you bought? The first record I ever bought was "The Final Countdown" by Europe. I loved the band the first time I ever heard them. Until then I had not listened to much rock or Heavy Metal. My preferences lay more in classical music. I still remember how I listened to that album day and night. It was a new world for me and it was just the beginning ... Who are your heroes? I don't have any real idols, but there are a lot of composers who I like a lot - Basil Poledouris, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer (and many others). As far as Heavy Metal goes, I like Crimson Glory, but also Manowar, Virgin Steele, Yngwie Malmsteen and several others. My favourite actors are Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. But these lists could actually be much longer. What was the first concert you visited? That was the Scorpions on their "World Wide Live"-tour. I don't listen to the Scorpions any more but at that time the Scorps were a real killer band. What was the best concert you ever saw? My favourite concert was Yngwie Malmsteen with the album "Inspirations" (with Marc Boals). Two hours of Yngwie songs and great tracks from the past. What is your ultimate favourite record? This has to be the soundtrack of "Gladiators", it is music full of pumping brass and magical, slow passages. Another great opera by Hans Zimmer. When and where did you meet the other guys from Rhapsody for the first time? Luca and I formed Rhapsody. We met ten years ago. Daniele was the first one to join us. We met in Trieste. It was different with Fabio. He comes from Pisa. We had to call him from the studio in Germany. There were a lot of personal differences at first but everything is sorted out now. It was thanks to Daniele that we met Alessandro Lotta, our bass player, in Trieste. The last musician to join us is Alex Holzwarth, who replaced Daniele when he left us. He is a fabulous musician and we hope he will stay with us for a long time. What is your favorite Rhapsody song? It is impossible for me to answer that with just one title. My favourite heavy song is "Holy Thunderforce", my favourite complex track is "Dark Tower Of Abyss", and of all the lighter songs, I like "Emerald Sword" the best. As far as acoustic songs do, I like "Where Dragons Fly". But I think all our songs are great. What was the best experience on the Stratovarius tour? The thing that stuck in my mind most was the great reaction of the fans (especially in Milan). My favourite personal memory was my chats with Jens Johansson. He is an incredible keyboarder. We really enjoyed the tour with Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica. Can you read notes? Yes, I can read notes, but not very fast. But fast enough to be able to write the songs and strings arrangements which we use on our albums. How often do you practice? Over the last couple of years I hardly had time to practice much because we were always so busy working on the Rhapsody songs or on other things. But we had to practice for two weeks before the tour. Do you make music besides with Rhapsody? Besides Rhapsody I am also currently working on my first solo album, which is planned for release in November 2001. I'll use my own name as a band name. The producer will be Sascha Paeth. I have already found a very good singer. What is your aim with Rhapsody? It is my aim to grow in every aspect. As far as sales go, I'd love to hit the 500,000 mark. People think you shouldn't talk about sales but it is a fact that sales figures document the popularity of a band and the number of its fans. What are your private plans for the future? Very normal things, like get a new car, buy a house and some new instruments. Do you want to say something to your fans? I would like to say a huge thankyou to all our fans all over the world. Keep on singing with us and shouting for us !! What can we expect from Rhapsody in 2001? Oh, a lot of great things. Firstly the new tour in early 2001 as well as a lot of festivals, promotion events etc. Apart from that Luca and I are planning three other important things: 1.) A big, official website where you will be able to find lots of Rhapsody stuff and a weekly chat with us. 2.) For musicians who would like to play Rhapsody's music, there will be a big book with songs' original notes, as well as some extra notes for orchestral arrangements, guitar solos, keyboard solos, etc. It will be really fancy. 3.) For all our fans as well as for fantasy-freaks we are planning a series of comics about the "Emerald Sword" saga. The artist who does our cover artwork, Marc Klinnert has already agreed to do it. We're looking forward to all these new challenges ! |
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