Alex Staropoli
Encyclopedia
Alessandro Staropoli is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) is the keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
player, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and (together with Luca Turilli) co-founder of the Italian symphonic metal
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
band Rhapsody of Fire
Rhapsody of Fire
Rhapsody of Fire is an Italian symphonic power metal band led by Alex Staropoli. Since forming in 1993, the band has released eight studio albums, one live album, two EPs, and a live DVD...
. He does the orchestral arrangements in all the band's songs.
Alex and Luca met in 1990 during a course in mental techniques (how to have more control of your own mind), and together they started the band Rhapsody (later named as Rhapsody of Fire) in 1993.
When Alex was a child he was mainly interested in nature - mountains, forests and lakes. At the age of nine he got his first piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and began to study its basics, and at the age of fourteen he bought his first electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. After meeting Luca, but before the creation of Rhapsody of Fire, he bought a Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
01/W pro keyboard, a model he still uses.
Solo Project
Alex has started working on his first solo albumSolo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
with his brother Manuel, who is also featured on every Rhapsody of Fire album playing the baroque recorder and flutes. He has stated that he is writing the songs together with Manuel, and that he is aiming for an album using more heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
elements than the orchestral style of Rhapsody of Fire.