The guitarist and composer Bruno Battisti D'Amario (born 1937), who comes from a family of musicians, completed his training at the Conservatorio Musicale di Santa Cecilia in his home town of Rome with Benedetto Di Ponio and Mario Gangi. In 1960, he met Ennio Morricone, who involved him as lead guitarist (classical and electric) on his film soundtracks. He also took composition lessons from Morricone, which resulted in a solid collaboration that lasted over 20 years.

In addition to his successful career as a guitarist, Battisti D'Amario's activity as a composer is noteworthy, including works for guitar (both solo and in chamber ensembles) and orchestra. A highlight is his work I Tarocchi (The Tarot), in which the composer sets the 22 cards of the Major Arcana to music for guitar and tape.

The guitarist Adriano Sebastiani met Bruno Battisti D'Amario in 1986 and studied with him in Naples for five years. Beyond the usual teacher-student relationship, they later developed a deep mutual appreciation and a wonderful friendship.

The idea for this recording was born in September 2022, when Battisti D'Amario informed Sebastiani that he had written and dedicated a new work for solo guitar, "Contrasts", to him. This led to the recording project of all Battisti D'Amario's works for solo guitar, characterized by the intensive collaboration with the composer. His only piece for two guitars was added later.

Battisti D'Amario has a perfect command of the guitar, exploring all its timbres and creating fantastic soundscapes, sophisticated harmonies and flowing melodies. "Contrasts", dedicated to the artist, is a work with a modern and determined character, alternating lyrical and melancholic moments with stormy or mysterious ones. Nostalgia is an explicit tribute to Dolores, the composer's late wife: a song of infinite sweetness, filled with deep sadness and melancholy.

The Four Impressions are dedicated to four famous impressionist painters: Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir and Degas. Una Fantasia per Ennio needs no introduction: the best-known themes from Morricone's western films are repeated with great harmonic and contrapuntal mastery and demand great technical commitment from the performer. The Piccola Suite for guitar is divided into four movements: an introductory prelude that unfolds with a refined and fast arpeggio formula in the right hand, a dance with a rhythmic-melodic character reminiscent of South America, a simply delightful "Berceuse" that presents an exquisite and dreamy atmosphere, and finally an explosive concluding "Allegro" structured in the form of a rondo.

The program concludes with the work for two guitars "Dr. Sound", an anagram of the Italian words for "north" and "south". It is inspired by the music of both Americas, in particular by Gershwin's harmonic concepts (North) and Brazilian music (South).

Further information:
- Recorded in April 2024 in Piombino (Tuscany), Italy
- The English-language booklet contains liner notes by Adriano Sebastiani about the composer and the works as well as portraits of him and his duo partner.
- Sebastiani plays a guitar by Luciano Maggi (2011) and Bini one by Masaru Kohno (1986).
- Italian liner notes are available on brilliantclassics. com.

- Born into a family of musicians, the guitarist and composer Bruno Battisti D'Amario (Rome, 1937) received his artistic training at the Conservatorio Musicale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, where he studied with the masters Benedetto Di Ponio and Mario Gangi.

- In 1960, he met Ennio Morricone, who included him as lead guitarist (classical and electric) in the soundtracks of his films. He also took composition lessons with him, which led to a solid collaboration that lasted over 20 years. He has worked with composers such as Nino Rota, Armando Trovajoli, Luis Bacalov, Nicola Piovani and others.

- D'Amario has a perfect command of the guitar, exploring all its timbres and colors and creating fantastic soundscapes, refined harmonies and flowing melodies.

- The guitarist Adriano Sebastiani is a student and now close friend of D'Amario. His playing testifies to a deep knowledge of and great affection for the idiom of this wonderfully original music. Riccardo Bini accompanies him in his compositions for the guitar duo.