Mauro Teho Teardo

Born in Pordenone on 19 September 1966, Mauro Teho Teardo began his musical life far from the world of film scores and contemporary composition. He started playing clarinet as a child, but the discovery of punk records by the Ramones and Sex Pistols pushed him towards electric guitar and the local punk scene. At 17 he was already playing in bands, while developing his own experimental ideas outside the conventional group format.

 
In 1985 he founded the experimental project M.T.T. and set up M.T.T. Records, using the cassette format to circulate his music through the international tape-trading network. His early recordings belong to the underground industrial and experimental world, with releases such as 'The Birth Of The Day', 'Coliga Matari' and 'Abraxa'. During this period he also came into contact with artists from the international noise and industrial scene, and his work eventually appeared alongside names such as Nurse With Wound, Ramleh and Skullflower. 

The early 1990s brought a stronger focus on Meathead, the industrial rock project he formed and led from around 1990–91. The group combined noise, industrial music, electronics and a more recognisable rock framework, producing releases including 'Street Knowledge' (1992), 'Bored Stiff' (1994), 'Meathead Against The World' (1996) and 'Protect Me From What I Want' (1997). At the same time, Teardo was involved in a growing network of international collaborations, working with musicians such as Mick Harris, Lydia Lunch and Jim Coleman of Cop Shoot Cop. 

The 1990s were particularly busy, with projects including Matera with Mick Harris, Here with Jim Coleman and later Operator with Scott McCloud of Girls Against Boys. His activities moved between Italy, Britain and the United States, connecting the Italian underground with the wider industrial, experimental and alternative rock scenes. The same period also established Teardo as a musician interested in moving freely between electronic sounds, guitars, sampling and acoustic instrumentation rather than remaining tied to a single genre. 

A new chapter began around the turn of the millennium when Teardo increasingly moved into composing for film, theatre and other visual projects. His first major film score was for Gabriele Salvatores' "Denti", followed by work for directors including Guido Chiesa, Andrea Molaioli, Paolo Sorrentino and Daniele Vicari. His music for "Lavorare Con Lentezza", "La Ragazza Del Lago", "L'Amico Di Famiglia" and "Il Divo" established another side of his work, with the score for "Il Divo" earning him the David di Donatello for Best Music in 2009. 

Alongside the soundtrack work, he continued developing records that brought electronic processing into contact with strings and other acoustic instruments. 'Giorni Rubati', recorded with American cellist Erik Friedlander in 2006, was inspired by the poetry of Pier Paolo Pasolini. Later projects included 'Tower/Microphone', 'Music for Wilder Mann', 'Ballyturk', 'Grief Is the Thing with Feathers' and 'Ellipses dans l'Harmonie'. 

Another important connection began through the theatre project Ingiuria, created with Chiara Guidi and involving Alexander Bălănescu and Blixa Bargeld. The collaboration with Bargeld, the German musician known for Einstürzende Neubauten and his work with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, subsequently developed into a long-running musical partnership. Teardo and Bargeld released 'Still Smiling' in 2013, followed by the 'Spring' EP, 'Nerissimo', 'Fall', and later 'Live in Berlin' and 'Christian & Mauro'. 

Teardo's work has continued to move between recorded music, live performance, theatre and cinema, with the common thread being the combination of electronic processing and acoustic instruments. His credits also include collaborations with artists such as Wire, Erik Friedlander, Jim Thirlwell, Alexander Bălănescu and others, while his film work has brought him awards including the David di Donatello, Nastro d'Argento, Ciak d'Oro and Premio Ennio Morricone.