Ataraxia interview: ‘We don’t set ourselves against something; we act creatively to create something’

For more than three decades, Ataraxia has been regarded as both a household name and a cult act within the broad realms of Ethereal, Neo-Classical, Folk, and related musical genres. Throughout the years, Ataraxia’s core members – Francesca Nicoli, Vittorio Vandelli, and Giovanni Pagliari – have remained driven by an inexhaustible source of inspiration, deeply rooted in their spiritual experience. Of course, their remarkable talent plays a vital role, but so does the authenticity that consistently shines through in their compositions.

Ataraxia offers a genuine remedy – perhaps even an antidote – to a world that rushes by like a bullet train. Ataraxia embodies reflection and wisdom, a profound love of nature, and a deep respect for ancient traditions, legends, and myths. With their latest album, “Sylfaera The Fair”, released through the Greek label The Circle Music and serving as the concluding chapter of a new trilogy, Ataraxia once again affirm not only their artistic brilliance but also the sincerity and integrity that define their approach to music. For me, Ataraxia’s “Sylfaera The Fair” is a truly immersive experience – one in which spirituality and artistry become inseparable. I had the pleasure of discussing the album and much more with Francesca Nicoli. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Ataraxia interview

Q: Ataraxia was formed almost 40 years ago, and your latest album marks the thirtieth full-length release in this impressive journey. How do you look back on the young artists you were in the 1980s, and what has remained the common thread throughout this long career?

Francesca: The first Ataraxia album was born in 1990, 36 years ago. We cannot describe a thirty-six-year process because we are always looking toward the so-called future; we are always looking ahead to what we will do. It has been such a fast, intense, and prolific flow that we are unable to find descriptive phrases that allow us to reflect on the complete body of work, because this is nothing other than the complete work of our life brought into music.

We remember the experiences and enthusiasm of concerts around the world, the recording of the albums, but our emotions and vision are all directed toward what will be. Perhaps one day, a listener will be able to outline the path; we are the same people who have lived thirty different lives, so by necessity, we are others while maintaining that original root. It is as if we had been reincarnated 30 times in different bodies while maintaining the same soul that discovers new possibilities every time.

Q: “Sylfaera The Fair” is the final part of an Ataraxia trilogy preceded by “Pomegranate” (2022) and “Centaurea” (2024). Did you know from the very beginning that it was going to be a trilogy, or did this happen more along the way? And what does this final opus represent, and how should listeners approach the trilogy as a whole?

Francesca: We didn’t know it for sure, but we felt it; we knew it would end this way because we have always worked in trilogies throughout our career. It represents a part of our life in a mythological key, and therefore accessible to all and useful to everyone, like any form of art, to sublimate the meaning of existence for those who listen to it. The right approach is simply to listen to it in order, or even in reverse—from the third album to the first—and let the images that accompany the listening bloom, take the journey, enjoy the journey, and see how one comes out transformed by all this. A musical listening is always a journey, and from no journey nobody returns the same and to the same place.

Q: Trilogies originated in antiquity, and I remain fascinated by how this format continues to evolve today. What fascinates you personally about the trilogy form, the symbols (like the number 9 in this album) in it and are there any examples from the wider art world that have particularly inspired or moved you?

Francesca: The number three is a peculiar number, the number of perfection and communication. Cycles are completed that start from one, which also corresponds to the sign of Aries, and therefore to birth, the initial force that brings life to bloom and utter its first cry. Then, two is the mirror; we are in front of another who reflects our essence—without which we would not know who we are—up to the completeness of three, which is communication and creation, because from the union of two is born; the son, or what is created; by the energy of the two, becoming something new.

Needless to say, Tolkien has always inspired us, and Tolkien also worked with the trilogy. But there are also references in painting and an interesting numerological studies we did years ago. Nine is the maximum expression of three (3×3), and nine are the characters of the album who will find themselves energetically creating “Sylfaera The Fair”, the realm of music, beauty, and harmony.

Nine is the Hermit of the Tarot, the one who in solitude carries the lamp of knowledge on a path backwards, walking toward the past, in retrocausality. Then we have the Tesla sequence 3-6-9, which is a complement of mathematical and philosophical awareness that has always fascinated us.

Q: I believe it is fair to say that mysticism has always played a central role in Ataraxia‘s musical universe and that it also reflects something about the people behind the artists. How important is the mystical dimension in your daily lives, and how do you perceive mysticism in the contemporary Western world, where it seems to be gradually disappearing?

Francesca: We were born with this mystical nature, and since we were children, we have lived experiences linked to subtle worlds, amplified by life in medieval villages or on the Apennines of our region. Woods, rivers, mountains, and undoubtedly our numerous experiences on the Greek islands, as well as those on the Italian peaks, have created the substrate—the most powerful means—to experience our music in a mystical state. The mystical dimension in everyday life is still our nature; it is not a specific moment we dedicate ourselves to, it is the very way in which we perceive life and our experiences.

We struggle to give you explanations regarding the disappearance of mysticism in the contemporary Western world because we live things from the inside; we exist in this dimension 24 hours a day, and this is our lens. In a certain way, staying within this dimension protects us—otherwise, we would not be able to write music, to feel in a certain way, or to imagine a profound bond between everything and between this and other possible dimensions. For us, mysticism is nothing more than feeling a profound connection, at both a cellular level and a higher mental level, to the heart of things, to the heart of a greater design that gives meaning to this earthly experience. A profound sensitivity is necessary, which can be wounded by the prosaic nature of life, and we must take care of it every day.

Q: Ataraxia’s music often evokes ancient civilizations, forgotten rituals, and a sacred experience of nature, an atmosphere strengthened by the use of traditional instruments. How essential is this approach to your artistic identity, and how do you view modern music culture and the rise of AI, which in some ways seems to represent its opposite?

Francesca: The nature of our music is as you describe; this approach is essential to be able to express ourselves in an honest, authentic way, which can bring forth sincere suggestions. Our creativity is indomitable, so we do not need ‘external intelligences’; due to a lack of inspiration; furthermore, we have been in the musical world for so many years that we feel no need for it at all. We like working with new sounds (natural and synthesized), but not delegating. We like having the responsibility for what we do, being the conductors of the orchestra, and using and refining our musical intelligence in order to remain operative and lucid. We don’t set ourselves against something; we act creatively to create something.

Q: Speaking of traditional instruments, “Sylfaera The Fair” is once again an absolute masterpiece and a true tour de force, featuring contributions from guest musicians. How do you bring such an ambitious undertaking to life, and what does the composition process look like in practice?

Francesca: For us, it is completely natural because every time, fellow musician friends arrive who integrate into the new project and the new album in a completely spontaneous way, and everything flows. We don’t have to tell them what to do or what not to do; they intuit it perfectly and create their melodies, blending their musical experience with our suggestions. Then, we work with great concentration on the rhythmic parts because we create them ourselves; these create the earth upon which the air and the water of the instruments move, and the fire—the Flame—is the union of all these forces in harmony, working toward a single goal: the creation of the specific dimension of this musical micro-universe that’s the album.

Q: Were there any specific innovations or evolutions in the choice of instruments or in the overall production process during the creation of this trilogy and especially the latest album?

Francesca: The first album of the trilogy, “Pomegranate”, utilized the simplicity of our essential instruments: classical and electric guitar, keyboards, cello, and voice, with few rhythmic patterns. It was an essential and poetic album. The second album of the trilogy, “Centaurea”, became enriched with more complex arrangements while maintaining the same instruments, to which drum patterns of a certain importance were added, varying the musical suggestions as we explored different genres (Folk ballads, Neo-Classical arias, more symphonic tracks, Dream-Pop, etc.). The new album focuses on a first part more closely linked to Nordic and Mediterranean Folk, introducing uilleann pipes, bodhrán, flutes, massive tribal percussion, and choirs, while the second part is more in line with our previous releases.

Q: After releasing 30 Ataraxia albums, I wonder whether there are still artists or records that continue to inspire you. More broadly, what do inspiration and creativity mean when you have devoted so many years to the same artistic project? How have these concepts evolved for you over time, and how do you continue to nurture them?

Francesca: Certainly, there are artists who inspire us greatly; they don’t directly inspire our music, but rather our soul. We are always listening to new music that we discover along the way, and music remains the soundtrack of our emotions. Since we were children, we have experienced creativity as a form of expression, as the natural nourishment of our own existences, and so now we are that expression—it is our DNA. Music is our language, our universe, our way of communicating with ourselves and with what surrounds us. Everything has evolved along with our life experiences, our maturity, our spiritual search, our sufferings, and our discoveries. We nourish it simply by living and experiencing the universe of life.

Q: Glossolalia, or the use of imaginary language, has long played a role in your work and seems to fit naturally within the spiritual dimension of Ataraxia. How do you approach this practice creatively? Does it require a particular form of introspection, meditation, or discipline, and have you noticed an evolution in this aspect of your work over the years?

Francesca: I have always used different ancient and modern languages in my lyrics, and there has always been a track in glossolalia on every album. Each language I used was chosen for the peculiarity of its sound, which suited that specific piece of music, and from there, the step to glossolalia is a short one. Usually, I listen to the compositions the band proposes and instinctively work on the vocal melodies, which already have a specific color connected to particular sounds. It is like a meditative process: I close my eyes, listen, and the sounds come out one after the other without any particular construction—they emerge spontaneously. It seems like a magical process; in reality, the voice becomes like a musical instrument that produces sounds articulated into words. The technique has been the same since the beginning, only in this latest album it was used much more extensively compared to the previous ones.

Q: What are the current short-term plans for Ataraxia, and what can we expect from the band in the longer term?

Francesca: In the short term, we are working on the live performance of this album experience—each time different, each time linked to the venue and the situation in which we will be performing. In the long term, we do not know yet. Everything is revealed to us along the path, just like breathing: we inhale, just as when releasing an album, we inhale to recharge with oxygen, which will allow us to exhale a new opus once again.

About Ataraxia

Ataraxia is a neoclassical dark wave and dark folk band from Modena and Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. The group was founded in the second half of the 1980s by vocalist Francesca Nicoli and guitarist Michele Urbano, with the line-up stabilising around Nicoli, guitarist and composer Vittorio Vandelli, and keyboardist Giovanni Pagliari in the early 1990s. Their work combines electronic technology with archaic and acoustic instruments, and their lyrics frequently reference nature, ancient cultures and mythological themes, often performed in historically resonant locations.

In their first years Ataraxia issued self-released recordings such as “Prophetia” and “Nosce Te Ipsum” before working with labels including Energeia and Cruel Moon International, gradually building an extensive discography across cassette, CD and vinyl formats. Late-1990s albums such as “Historiae” explored medieval and liturgical atmospheres; the album was later issued by Ark Records and documented both studio and live recordings, including material captured in a medieval court in 1998.

During the 2000s the band continued to refine its blend of neoclassical, ethereal and folk-influenced material on releases like “Suenos” and “Os Cavaleiros do Templo,” with several titles later revisited. Twilight Records reissued long-deleted works including “Saphir” and “Os Cavaleiros do Templo.”

In 2016 Ataraxia released “Deep Blue Firmament” via Sleaszy Rider Records. Subsequent full-lengths included “Synchronicity Embraced” (2018) and “Quasar” (stylised as “ΘUASAR”).

The collaboration with The Circle Music began with the 28th studio album “Pomegranate (The Chant of the Elementals)”, released in 2022 on digital, CD and vinyl formats. Ahead of that album the band issued several videos, including “Hlara Aralh” and “Aura Magi.”

Ataraxia’s 29th studio album “Centaurea” followed in 2024, again on The Circle Music in digital, CD and vinyl editions. Singles and videos from this period included “The Source,” “Galen,” “Viriditas,” “Coelestis” and “Ignis Pater.”

And now there is the band’s 30th album “Sylfaera the Fair”.