Frederic Rzewski

In the sixties and seventies a lot of words were spoken and written about the responsibilities of musicians in the vast enterprise in course at the time (or so it was thought) of changing the world. Most of this talk amounted to a lot of wind, and not much is left of it. So far as I know Luciano was not greatly interested in participating in these rhetorical flights, and was therefore sometimes accused of being "apolitical" or opportunistic, which he certainly was not. He was a hard worker who did a lot for music, not only as a pragmatic organizer and teacher, but also (and mainly) by writing it. One thing he used to say which sticks in my mind was: «It can always be better». He didn't just talk about it; he did it. And by doing so he demonstrated that it is possible to leave the world a better place by doing your job well, something he did in exemplary fashion with his exquisite craft. Although I didn't spend a great deal of time in his company, those moments where we did come together remain in my memory for good.

Frederic Rzewski