The Kur Through the Eyes of Those Who Perform It

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Max Corfini Musicista

His name is Max Corfini, and he is a man of the entertainment world—singer, composer, performer, specialized in communication and stage presence, and incredibly kind, if I may add.

To speak of his training and career would require a river of ink, but simply listening to some of his tracks, either through YouTube or live, if you want to treat yourself to a real gift, will give you an immediate sense of the artist’s caliber.

She is Norma Paoli Cirocchi, or rather, they are Norma and Italo, and they need no introduction as they are well-known figures in the world of dressage, and more generally in the equestrian world. This trio’s union has led to a small but significant revolution in the world of kurdressage performances accompanied by music.

A Winning Project

The collaboration was born almost by chance, thanks to a deep friendship and mutual respect, a few years ago. Norma, Italo, and Max combined their skills to create what the composer himself loves to call “tailor-made kur,” and if you have the fortune to witness a ballet by Norma with one of her horses, or by many students of Dressage Life, or other riders who have chosen Max as their composer, you’ll immediately understand what that means.

“When Norma and Italo asked me to compose the music for the kur, I wasn’t entirely sure what I would need to do,” Max recalls. “I know the equestrian world thanks to my daughter Cecilia, but she practices show jumping.” “So I started watching videos of Norma’s kur performances, as well as other champions’. I watched dozens and dozens of clips and noticed, in most cases, the same issue—the disconnect between one piece and the next,” he adds, the musician’s trained ear quickly spotting both the gaps and the potential.

Another aspect Max noticed was the heavy use of classical pieces—elegant, no doubt—but perhaps something more modern, more familiar, and musical to our ears was needed to make the choreography more captivating and emotionally rich. Because in the end, that is what we need to feel, regardless of the technical judgment, of course. And so the creative idea was born: to record live, with a band of musicians in flesh, blood, and instruments, a mix of music created for that particular choreography and pairing.

Step by Step

The creative process begins in the arena when the technician studies the perfect choreography for the horse or the pair they are working with. Then there are multiple rehearsals to ensure the music can be sent to the composer in sync as closely as possible, so that he can focus on the sound aspect.

Creating the perfect music is not so different from filming a dressage performance when you think about it. Max explains that at that point, technique, passion, and feeling come into play, because without those, it’s impossible for the music to flow.

The same applies to riding. “At that point, I watch the footage and ‘sync the horse,’ finding its beat. But not only that, I observe: its expressions, its movements, its mechanics. Every horse is different, and each one has the perfect music,” he says. It’s a truly meticulous job, full of countless details. Thus begins the creative process: selecting songs, pairing tracks to each specific movement, adjusting the nuances, the pace—sometimes with vocal tracks, other times with instrumental pieces, and making sure not to use too many, which could create chaos, or too few, which would make the performance dull.

Music to Dance To

Another aspect the eclectic musician insists on, as a true showman, is finding music that is not only tailored to the specific pair but also catchy and recognizable.

And what better than the vast and wonderful repertoire of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s—intergenerational tracks that make everyone sing and dance, regardless of age? These are the songs that are woven into the fabric of our lives, and when brought to the arena, with a powerful horse dancing to those notes, they create a shared emotion—much like the feeling you get when attending a live concert.

The Band

At this point, after finding the perfect music and beat, the musicians enter the scene. It’s curious because they are music professionals who, however, know nothing about horses.

Max guides them through the sounds, and while they all know exactly what to do, seeing the footage on a big screen with the horse moving makes everything more magical. Even for the musicians who are newcomers to the equestrian world, everything becomes clear, and that’s when the magic of “tailor-made kur” truly happens.

A Monumental Job

Once again, the parallel between riding and composing music proves useful—it’s not difficult, after all, as both are forms of art. What we see in those six minutes—the choreography, the blend of technique and creativity, of rigor and imagination—is the result of months of work by a team of professionals who, despite being very distant from each other in their respective fields, share one thing in common: a passion for their craft. It is the unity that fuels the process, keeps it alive and vibrant, and you can immediately sense it.

Dreams in the Drawer

Max Corfini loves music, and Norma, Italo, and all of us love horses. So why not dream big and think of a dressage event that could draw crowds like in Germany, where stadiums are packed to see a series of outstanding pairs performing their kur, played live by an orchestra? Just imagining it gives me goosebumps. Of course, it’s an ambitious project, but paraphrasing an Italian singer-songwriter, “It’s always dreams that shape the world.”

Elena Pecora

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