“Our intention was to bring emotions to the stage, not virtuosity” – interview with Ragnarok Orchestra

We are delighted to have as guest for this interview the Ragnarok Orchestra, a symphonic group known for their enthralling fusion of folk and Nordic themes. Their music transports listeners back in time by mixing soul-stirring folk traditions with opulent symphonic orchestration as well as detailed background stories. Come along as we explore this special group’s creative process and uncover the mystery behind their striking, captivating sound. The interview was conducted by our photographer Mauro Parozzi – a huge thanks to him and to the band for this opportunity!

Your project is a fantastic project, which is based on Norwegian mythology. How and where does this interest in the Norwegian mythology come from? 

Alessandro Antonello: The project was born at the end of 2016 between me, Alessandro and Davide. And, uh, and then it practically takes more and more feet on stages in Italy or abroad thanks to the love for Nordic mythology and everything that has to do with the traditional music of the Middle Ages. And as for the orchestral world, there was this strong union with my project with Davide, together with Riccardo Trasselli. Here we are on a beautiful afternoon of, you could say, fun, attending a live in Montelago. And, as I said, in a few months this idea practically came to life. Thanks also to Riccardo, who made the channel then with his orchestra colleagues, creating practically the amalgam of the project. 

Riccardo has played a fundamental role in the organization of the project together with the orchestra. The orchestra, in fact, I have seen that it has allowed you to play on quite important stages, I must say, theatre for example. the one in Turin, you went to Verona, among other things. So, I would say that the project is going well in this regard. The orchestra has weighted in this part. 

Riccardo Trasselli: Yes, well, the orchestra, let’s say that, as Alessandro said, there are very precise dates of when all this was born, and, uh, I remember a live show of Ragnarok, still a duo, and there was this idea with which, after several evenings spent with the guys, it was decided to expand and as we always say, to enhance what they already did in an awesome way. What you said is true, because we have already played very important stages and above all, more than anything, theatres. Theatres that will see us main characters in this next season. From October to January 2025 in very important theaters. We’ll be in Perugia, in Florence, after that, on the 9th of November in Bergamo, then we’ll be on the 23rd of November in Arezzo, on the 11th of January in Rome, at the famous and historic Teatro Garbatella, and on the 25th of January in Melzo. This will be the conclusion of the winter tour. And also the bet about this project. 

Listening to your tracks, last time, and then listening to you online and all the rest, you basically feel that there is a lot of research, both in terms of the musical field and in terms of the historical field. I already know that you have completed your studies, that you have studied some of them, I don’t know if you have. 

Davide Florio: Well, from the musical part, our intention was to bring emotions to the stage, not virtuosity, because we are not virtuous, as our colleagues in the orchestra, who have studied, they have become conservative diplomats. But we always liked to bring emotions with what we had. People tell us “It feels like there’s 6 or 7 of you on stage”. 

You tend to play a thousand different instruments, but above all, instruments that are coherent with the music you play. That is, unlike many bands, we could say, that offer shows with a lot in the background and little live, your show is live and there, at the moment, with instruments that are coherent with what you play.

Davide Florio: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, yes. Then we try to put, we try to add digital backgrounds to create an atmosphere. Everything is live. We like this. 

Riccardo Trasselli: Yes, the amalgam with the orchestra is also born from arrangements studied a little and revisited on the songs of Ragnarok and after that, in short, we can also talk to you now one of the guys here of the orchestra we are close by, we have Federica Zanotti on violin, Virginia Grassi on the cello and Giammaria Tombari on percussions. What impressions have you had from the beginning of the adventure?

Giammaria Tombari: It was a beautiful experience, and actually for us it was a bet, we can say that we won, because we are musicians who come from the classical field, so a completely different world from this, and also for us to approach this musical style was a challenge, but it was beautiful, and I would say that we are well integrated in the project.

Federica Zanotti: Yes, in addition to this, it also gives us a way to experience new things, to get out of our comfort zone, maybe, and try new and different things, and at the same time fascinating, even maybe old or older than what we are used to playing. And so, for us it is also very nice to be able to have these new experiences, let’s say.

And how did you feel, about changing the stage from a classical venue? 

Virginia Grassi: The difference wasn’t more in the stage, the difference was in the audience. The response was different than a classical one. There is a lot more involvement in this. 

Alice Petrin: I come from a mixed experience with the popular music. I started with the violin, then later with the nyckelharpa, which is the instrument that I play in this orchestra, in this group. And then came out the singing, the experimental singing, the Overton singing, cultural singing, which Tony also practices, and various types of singing in the traditions of the Mediterranean. So anyway, I tried to adapt my voice to this new repertoire, to which I was not very practical. Instead, with the studio of the Nyckelharpa, I faced many challenges. Many times Nordic music, so from Northern Italy, also because the nyckelharpa is an instrument that originates from Sweden and there are also testimonies between Germany and Italy, but above all it has been maintained in Sweden to this day and has become the traditional instrument.

We could say that under this aspect you have maintained a philological perspective. 

Alice Petrin: Yes I am a bridge between the two worlds because I have made music in conservatories, baroque music and also folk music for more or less 20 years. 

And what about the historical part? 

Alessandro Antonello: I can say, I am quite a lover of history, mythology and research. But, as far as I’m concerned, as a person, it all starts from my passion for the Nordic languages Germanic languages, and foreign languages in general. I can define myself as a linguist. Then, from my great love for the German language, the connection with the Scandinavian languages was born. And from the connections, of course, with the Scandinavian languages, the story. And the story that I like the most, of course, is that of the Nordic period. So, Vikings, Pre and Post. Mmm. From there a whole research is born, from the love for Germanic philology and poetic texts and pieces that come from the medieval period, basically, because that’s what it’s about at the end. You can space it, in fact, from pieces taken from mythological texts. It’s a great book of the age, written in 1250, in the middle of the Icelandic Middle Ages, in Norwegian, and then everything that goes around it. So, even songs that are a bit younger, so medieval, but always from Scandinavian roots, especially from Sweden. Then we also touch worlds like cinema and videogames or movies, related to fantasy or the Middle Ages. Also, our tracks, written by me in a foreign tongue or others taken directly from good traditionalists from the great book of Edda.

Here we reconnect to the question I wanted to ask you later. But then, how does a piece of Ragnarok come about? 

Davide Florio: Well, we made several pieces and some were born only from a melody. Some from just a round of chords and others, we said, let’s take this text here because we liked it. and we try to build something. So we don’t have a straight line that we always follow. When we get the inspiration, but sometimes also the place, how you are. Sometimes you can create weeks, or months, that you can’t do anything and sometimes in a day you can make three new songs. 

So let’s say it’s just a transposition, in Nordic key of your important moments, your feelings.

Alessandro Antonello: Yes, emotions and everything, yes. We feel transported, let’s say, by this type of sound. This evening, for the second time with the orchestra, we will set up a new song, written by our good Giammaria. Very particular times, right? 7/8, very peculiar. And here I wrote a text in Swedish, quite poetic and introspective, about the game between light, winter and warmth. 

Before we were talking about the experience with the orchestra, about the fact that actually, your fan base is growing. What is your main strength? 

Alessandro Antonello: I think this is a point of strength that I think I will never give up. People love listening to our stories. I think David agrees. Because, first of all, as I always say, and rightly so, people don’t understand what I sing. But telling it is definitely projected into the story. And it is, I think, the most significant thing; the Nordic languages, like the Swedish and Scandinavian languages, and the languages of the North, of the world, so let’s talk about the Mongolian and Siberian languages, they are also very onomatopoeic languages. So, already in itself, a song with a certain language leads you to a certain type of feeling. And then, the music comes along and the game is done. So I think this is our strong point. 

Davide Florio: Yes, and certainly also the fact that it is a music that is hard to hear around. I mean, let’s count on the fingers of one hand, the bands that are only in Europe. So, it’s a big point of strength. 

You have already had experience abroad in this regard. Your project has a clear international spirit. Precisely because of the Nordic component, precisely because of the foreign language component, not just in English, but So there will be a possibility to tour abroad? 

Davide Florio: We should work this autumn for next year, but we put everything in it. We are looking for a good place. 

Any anticipation for the future of Ragnarok Orchestra? 

Davide Florio: Well, we can start with the Ragnarok II. As soon as we can finish the album, the new album will be released, which will be composed of 10 tracks, and it will be just a song, a cover, that a lot of people asked us and the rest will probably be our songs and a couple of covers of traditional songs so it will be a nice, also a nice album because it will be about 45 minutes of 10 songs so some are quite long but to transport a song to have emotions for us it has to last. Pink Floyd teaches it. And then, as far as the orchestra is concerned, also with the orchestra we have an intention when we will be able to make a record, I personally have in mind to make a nice video clip, beautiful absurd. But there is a lot to do. Of course, prepare tours, and prepare new songs, especially new unpublished songs. And go and invade all the nations.