This programme represents a harvest of rare Italian gems from Baroque to contemporary masters for an instrument that has been of great significance to Italian culture for centuries. Exploration of the guitars expressiveness ranges from the lyrical amiability of Brescianellos Partita No. 7 to Paganinis delightful miniatures, and the improvisational austerity of Bettinellis Cinque preludi. Virtuosity can be found in Malipieros only guitar work, the dramatic Preludio, and Giulianis extraordinary Rossiniana. Castelnuovo-Tedescos meditative Aranci in fiore, was written in gratitude for the gift of a basket of oranges.