Interview with Ralston Van Der Schyff

I found "A Game Of Cat And Mouse" utterly charming in the way it transforms a simple image into an expressive piece of musical storytelling. Ralston Van Der Schyff captures the playful chase between two curious creatures through graceful piano melodies that feel light on their feet and carefully composed. While rooted in his neoclassical style, the piece subtly reflects the uncertainty of the period in which it was written, reminding me how imagination can flourish even during moments of isolation. Drawing on classical elegance with hints of jazz-influenced freedom, Van Der Schyff creates a cinematic composition worth revisiting.

Interview with Ralston van der Schyff

A Game Of Cat And Mouse was born from the stillness of 2021. Did you actually find yourself watching creatures in your own home, or was the attic imagery entirely a construction of your isolation-fueled imagination?

It was purely imagery in my mind. My mind somehow wondered to an attic, a forgotten place holding memories of years gone by. I saw old toys, cobwebs and wee creatures making a home for themselves and then a mouse and then a cat and then the friendship between the two.

Your influences span from Rachmaninoff to Keith Jarrett. When you’re writing something as whimsical as this, do you find the "classical" discipline holds you back, or does it give you the structure you need to let the jazzier parts breathe?

The classical discipline is exactly that, that structure that puts each piece of the story into chapters, so definitely not held back. The jazz you can think of as the personalities of the characters and the atmosphere of the surroundings.

You’re the founder of "Ralston World," a multidisciplinary creative universe. Does your music inform your fashion and art, or is the music just one small part of a larger, ritualistic lifestyle?

The fashion, art, lifestyle and ritual aspects are extensions of the music core.

That "mischievous introduction" in the track is infectious. How much did you have to edit out to keep it feeling light and "sprightly," or did it just tumble out of your fingers that way?

Honestly, it just tumbled out of my fingers. I’m merely painting what I see in my mind.

You’ve performed in both traditional concert halls and "unconventional settings." What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever played a piano, and did it change how you interpreted your own compositions?

I cannot recall any weird places, unconventional just being smaller intimate venues with different characteristics. However, the tone, tuning and feel of the piano, the weight of the keys, the recoil of the hammers against the strings, and the acoustics and energy of the room definitely change how I play the music. Most times I need to make changes to the harmonies, tempo or phrases on demand while still telling the same story - no two pianos, venues nor audiences are the same.

As a neoclassical artist, do you worry that listeners will see your music as "background noise" for studying or relaxing, or do you want them to sit down and actually look at the musical maze you’ve built?

I actually expect the listener to listen attentively and imagine the scenes that I’m communicating, in their own minds - it needs to evoke emotions within themselves. I never worry what listeners are thinking - I’m just the messenger delivering a message. For some it provides calm, for others introspection.

Your catalogue—The Rabbit Hole, Joker, A Doll's Ballet—leans heavily into storytelling. Do you ever feel like you’re not writing "songs," but rather scoring scenes for a film that doesn't exist yet?

Yes, they are indeed scoring scenes for visual themes still to be recorded.

When you’re improvising, do you find your hands naturally gravitating toward those jazz-influenced chord voicings, or do you have to consciously fight to keep the "classical" structure intact?

There is no fight - The classical and jazz are intertwined, unconsciously synced. I’m not thinking what must be to tick boxes.

Isolation forced a lot of people to look inward. Was writing this piece a way to stay sane, or was it a way to escape the reality of that global uncertainty?

It was a way to not think about the downside of what was transpiring in the world. There is a reason and a season for everything.

If a mouse and a cat were actually listening to this track, which one do you think would be more impressed by the arrangement? And please, don't say the cat—they’re far too aarrogant.

I’d say the other toys and creatures looking on at these two providing entertainment :)

You’ve evolved a lot since Red Lanterns in 2012. Looking back at your debut, do you feel like a completely different musician, or is there a "Ralston thread" that ties everything together?

As a musician, I’m constantly evolving - what stays constant is the philosophy and who I am at the core.

Finally, as a fellow inhabitant of "attics and rafters"—what’s the one secret in your own "musical maze" that you hope people never quite find, so that the mystery stays alive?

If I told anyone, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore :) What I can say is, I’m inspired by the Creator, who in any case will always remain a mystery for mankind.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Ralston van der Schyff on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist