This album presents the complete solo works for guitar by two Catalan contemporaries, the cellist Gaspar Cassadó and the pianist Federico Mompou. Cassadó wrote six guitar works connected to his friendship with Andrés Segovia, mostly based on folk elements such as the sardana, a traditional Catalan circle dance. In Mompou’s works for guitar, the influence of his mysticism and attachment to Catalan folklore are undeniable. He composed primarily for piano but he also wrote three pieces for guitar, notably Suite compostelana for Segovia. The hypnotic, austere and lyrical elements in this work distil Mompou’s compositional genius.

As a soloist, guitarist Eugenio Della Chiara has been a guest of the orchestra of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and the Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, working with conductors such as Diego Ceretta and Tohar Gil. He has recorded three albums for Decca, and regularly performs with violinist Piercarlo Sacco, guitarist Andrea Dieci, pianist Alberto Chines and tenor Juan Francisco Gatell, as well as collaborating with numerous contemporary composers, who have dedicated around 20 solo and chamber works to him.