Antinoë - ''My vulnerabilities and weaknesses are completely unveiled''
- Sparky
- 3 minutes ago
- 6 min read
‘’The Fold” is not just an album but an experience. The second album from Teresa Marraco’s solo Piano based project of Antinoe is a sumptuous and intimate exploration of romance and emotion. It is uncompromising in its honesty and raw purity, recognizing grief and hope, darkness and light whilst being wildly expressive. The Fold is a wonderful accomplishment.
'Hello, Sparky, and thank you! It’s good to speak again, I remember our first conversation for Whispers from the Dark Past back in 2023. Now again, discussing my latest work, The Fold. The idea of this album started in 2018, after the illness and passing of my father, and the personal transformation that it triggered. It is an introspective journey around fear of death and grief, and how darkness became my shelter, giving birth to Antinoë, as a therapeutical music project
It has such a wealth of styles and ethos. An evolution from Whispers from the Dark Past that contains more classically inspired ideas?
‘’This album has allowed me to express many things. Each track explores a different phase of the process of grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance), mostly intertwined, since my own experience was messier than in theory. Everything I learned from Whispers from the Dark Past is here: some of the same arrangements and symphonic elements, the same choral structures, the same piano sound. But I’d dare to say that, sound-wise, The Fold is more mature: I had become more familiar with my own style and possibilities, and also more skilled in self-recording and pre-mixing. Also, there are more influences layered to it, rather than Black Metal ones, such as intimate Dark Pop and Symphonic Rock.
It is a very intimate/emotional experience? Yet also uncompromising?
’Like a dear friend said: the more personal, the more universal. I believe it is true. Some of my vulnerabilities and weaknesses are completely unveiled in The Fold: a fatal attraction to the devil, a life often sustained by stagnation and the yearning for unreachable goals, a desperate attempt to find existential comfort in physical intimacy, an agony of holding on to someone I don’t want to let go, nocturnal panic and insomnia… these topics are exposed carefully, bit by bit, so that a listener can connect and resonate with each separately.
Darker yet also incredibly beautiful- the importance of balance and the juxtaposition of darkness and light? At times fragile, other powerful imbued with a quite strength?
‘’Definitely so. My lesson learned during the process of composition is that the balance between light and darkness is basically accepting nature’s way. For example, there is an allegory of the Devil, which is monstrous and threatening at the beginning, and eventually it is revealed as the Light Bringer, a beautiful helper of humans, self-knowledge and understanding of our place in the Universe. Same entity, viewed differently, depending entirely on us: we are fragile creatures at times, but also capable of great empowerment.
The creative force that is behind the track Flock with its textures and layers? The subtext of ‘’Why won’t you hate me the way I do?”
‘’There is a flock of birds flying far above in the sky, yet here I am sitting indoors, missing out. Instead of choosing action I remain here and simply sing about it, romanticizing my own misery, and attempting to make useful the useless contemplation of life passing by. This provokes a self-hatred and aversion in myself. ‘Why won’t you hate me the way I do’ is an inner existential question that the self (Teresa) asks the ego (Antinoë).
The importance of creating classically infused ethereal soundscapes?
‘’My musical roots are classical, especially romantic, and I have found a way of expression by using them as a foundation to build soundscapes that fit my mood. I have studied classical piano and also participated in a choir, and I’m very fond of cinematic music for movies and videogames, so a part of me tends to create ‘spacey’ symphonic music that uses wet vocals, layering and orchestration to craft ethereal scenarios.
Is the feeling/emotion more important than the composition?
‘’Honestly, not to me, not in this project. In Antinoë, I seek for a balance between well-built compositions and honest emotions. The music quality itself is important to me and I keep working to respect that as much as possible; I would not want to dismiss that part and focus just on expression. I admire and understand that other acts can focus more on feelings and less on musicality -raw black metal does this sometimes- but I genuinely enjoy composing; probably it is my favorite part.
The power of melancholy and remembrance?
Antinoë is essentially an architecture of memory and mourning, where melancholy, nostalgia, sadness and grief dwell. Antinoopolis (Antinoë is its Greek translation) was, by definition, a city built by a powerful emperor to mourn his loved one. Even the city itself is gone now, with only a few neglected stones remaining. This reflects what this project is to me: an echo from the past, an invisible ruin, that speaks in the name of decay and remembrance.
Was it always intended this way, or did it evolve over time and circumstance?
‘’These deeply Romantic and naturalistic ideas gradually found their way into my mind during my years studying architecture, precisely because they stood in contrast to what I was being taught. As an architect, I developed a professional profile rooted in the functionalist tradition of the 20th century, industrialization, and a modern architecture based on social and functional principles, an architecture for everyone. At the same time, I found myself drawn toward a more Romantic, individualistic, and dreamlike imagination. I read Italo Calvino, Ruskin, and Wilde, and gradually developed a very personal appreciation for classical architecture, the Arts and Crafts movement, and the picturesque. Everything I had been taught to regard as "useless" or purely contemplative gradually became what fascinated me the most and what I pour into Antinoë.
The importance of presenting a true expression of oneself through your music or art?
‘’In a solo project like Antinoë, it’s much easier than in a band because I have the privilege of expressing my individuality without having to negotiate it with anyone. As I mentioned before, making this music is therapeutic for me, and for that to work it has to be honest. I really mean has to. Throughout my musical journey, and especially because of the pressure of social media, there have been times when I felt pushed to do things that didn’t truly represent me. That’s exactly when music loses its meaning for me. Antinoë has to remain a genuine expression of who I am. If it ever becomes a performance or I no longer need this way of expressing myself, I think I’ll simply lose interest, and that will be the end of it.
Other favourite pieces of art you are currently enjoying? (Books/films etc)
‘’Recently I finished reading Paradise Lost by John Milton. It wasn't an easy read, but it was incredibly rewarding. I learned a great deal from it and especially enjoyed empathizing with Satan as a hero, together with Gustave Doré's illustrations. Not long ago I also visited Rodin's The Gates of Hell in Zurich, and I was deeply moved by its human, anthropocentric vision of hell. At the moment I'm reading a psychology book about decision-making, as I'm going through quite a reflective period in my life. As for films, I watch almost one every day. I enjoy all kinds of cinema and usually let recommendations and ratings guide me. One of the best things I've seen recently is the series Fargo, which I thought was pure art.
Future Plans and projects?
‘’My next step is bringing Antinoë to the stage. I’m now focused on preparing the live format carefully. I also want to keep composing. A long time has passed since I began writing The Fold, and I already have many new ideas that I’m eager to bring to life. I miss the act of composing. I know promotion is an important and necessary part of releasing an album, but my place is in my little hideout, creating things. I’m also looking forward to making more covers and collaborating with other artists. And, of course, I’ll always want to come back to Australia. Hopefully we’ll meet there someday. Thank you so much for your time, and all the best!
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