- Frederick II of Prussia, better known as “the Great”, lived at a time when the decline of the absolutist powers of “Kings” came into conflict with the advent of “Reason, the Enlightenment”. Frederick reformed the military and government, established religious tolerance and granted a basic form of freedom of the press. He bolstered the legal system and established the first German code of law. Of all things, Frederick the Great, as he became to be known, left a legacy of devotion to Germany, which also was evident in his love for the arts.

- Frederick was an avid amateur musician and at his palace in Potsdam he had teachers of extraordinary skill, such as Johann Joachim Quantz and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. While he was certainly influenced by their style, he also developed a style of his own that was influenced by vocal music, as well as inspired by his masonic faith. In his music one finds interesting esoteric symbolisms associated with numerology, masonic keys and the concept of the initiatory journey. His works are full of charm, wit and melodic inventiveness, while brilliantly written for the instruments.

- Gian-Luca Petrucci has been first flute in several of the top orchestras of Italy. He was professor at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. As a scholar he published monographs on several (Italian) composers: Mercadante, Briccialdi, Gazzelloni, de Lorenzo and Mozart.