Child genius Francesco Cilea, sent to study law at just seven years of age, became a celebrated composer in late 19th- and early 20th-century Italy. Among his most famous works are the operas 'Adriana Lecouvreur', 'L'arlesiana' and 'Gina', and the symphonic poem 'Il canto della vita', which was written in 1913 for the centenary of Verdi's birth. He was awarded membership of the Accademia d'Italia in recognition of his musical achievements.

Many of Cilea's chamber music compositions were written while the composer was in his 20s - these include the Cello Sonata in D and Trio for violin, cello and piano, both of which display a distinctive lyricism that would become a feature of much of Cilea's mature work.

The Theme and Variations and the Canto were written much later, and were originally composed for orchestra. Here they are performed in the composer's re-arranged version for piano and cello.

Performing together for the first time on the Brilliant Classics label, each of the performers on this recording enjoys an international reputation: Ilaria Cusano (violin), Jacopo Di Tonno (cello) and Domenico Codispoti (piano).