Hello Ralph, Where are you from?
Hi Dora.  I was born in Zürich, Switzerland.

I have read that you found your talent in music when you were just five years old. Very early.
Yes, it all began when I was five years old.  My mother placed me on her lap and introduced me to the piano.  A few days after my first ¨piano lessons¨ she told me that she would give me two francs if I could play the three parts of a waltz that she taught me in the morning, by that evening.  I achieved this and so my parents decided to sign me up for private piano lessons. 

You have released 4 Cds. “Between”, “Communion”, “Our Mother” and the latest is “eQuinox”.
Before the release of these solo piano Cds I composed sound tracks for multimedia projects, documentaries and film.  Then in 2000, after moving to Barcelona, I released my first CD Between. Communion followed in 2003, and Our Mother in 2007. Many pieces from all three CDs have been used as soundtracks in feature films and/or documentaries. My most recent CD eQuinox, released in May 2011, is produced and distributed by Valley Entertainment (Home of Hearts of Space Records and Windham Hill). This CD contains compositions from the past two or three years while I was living in the desert of Sonora in Arizona (U.S.). I chose the title “eQuinox”, because the theme of this CD is that of achieving personal balance within an unbalanced world.

Is there any particular composer you admire most?
Not really. Of course, there are certain classical composers I prefer more than others, but there are too many to name all of them. I definitely admire Keith Jarrett in many ways. His art of piano improvisation is unique, exceptional and very intense. In Greece you have many great musicians, not just Vangelis, who might be the most well known of all. For example, I enjoy very much the work of Vassilis Tsabropoulos and the beautiful soundtracks of Eleni Karaindrou in Angelopoulos’ films.

What do you think of George Winston, Philip Wesley, Jean Michel Jarre?
They are all accomplished composers, but I know too little about each of them to have an opinion. George Winston was definitely one source of influence to me many years ago. And by the way, I just recently recalled that Jarre released  a  CD in 1978 with the same title as my last one. Ooops … ☺

In your music I find peacefulness, sensitivity. Your melody touches people in their hearts and soul. Are you peaceful in your personal life too?
Well, I try to be, but I don’t always succeed. Musicians are human as everybody else, we have our weak points. People might get a wrong image of a musician when they try to compare him/her with his/her music. Just think of Mozart, his music, compared to his personality and his life.

Do you listen to any other kind of music?
I listen to all kinds of music; from classical music and jazz to rock and ethnic music, and the birds singing out in the garden. I try to listen to music only when I am really in the mood to do so.  Nowadays, we are surrounded by noise and sound all the time, constantly.  As Aldous Huxley said: "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the
inexpressible is music."  Silence is one of the most important sources of inspiration to me and my best “friend” as a composer.

You are in Facebook, MySpace. What do you think of internet marketing?
I try to do some Internet marketing, focusing on some major portals like Facebook. I have made some good friends and professional contacts through FB. It’s definitely a lot of work though and I don’t like to focus too much on it. I am above all a composer and then a performer. Internet marketing simply can’t be the priority in my life. Fortunately, most of the promotional work is done by my record label now.

Where do you live now?
Right now I live in Spain in the province of Cádiz.

We expect you to come to Greece soon…
YES ! I would love to come to Greece again, especially to perform there. I visited your country six times, the mainland and a few islands. It’s a beautiful country and I always had wonderful experiences and encounters there (even though I am unable to speak Greek).

Thank you Ralph

Thank you Dora for your interest in my work.  All the best to you.