Described by the Guardian as “A composer who knows exactly what to do and how to realize his ideas,” Francesco Antonioni (b. 1971) composes music for orchestra, plays, ballets, chamber music, solo and electronic pieces. At ease in many genres alongside classical music, in which they have their roots, Francesco Antonioni’s compositions consciously stand on the meeting point of different languages, of which they seek affinities and possibilities for integration. “The thought that this music conveys is a conquered freedom from any avant-garde, but also anti-avant-garde dogma,” wrote Dino Villatico (Classic voice). Thanks in part to the rhythmic energy that characterizes his music, Francesco Antonioni has numerous collaborations with choreographers and dance companies to his credit. His compositions have been commissioned by Wigmore Hall, the orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Albany Symphony Orchestra (USA), Ensemble Modern, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, MiTo Settembre Musica, Venice Biennale (2001, 2010, 2016), and performed by Antonio Pappano, George Benjamin, Evelyn Glennie, Yuri Bashmet, Beatrice Rana, among others. Since 2009 his scores have been published by Ricordi. In February 2024 Brilliant Classics released My River, a monographic disc in which Francesco Antonioni is also engaged as conductor, alongside Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Giovanni Carlo Federico Villa, university professor, is director of Palazzo Madama in Turin and president of the Ateneo di Scienze Lettere ed Arti in Bergamo. A former member of the Superior Council for Cultural and Landscape Heritage of the Ministry of Culture (2019-2022), he was honorary director of the Civic Museums of Vicenza (2015-2018) and for the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome he curated the exhibitions Antonello da Messina (2006), Giovanni Bellini (2008), Lorenzo Lotto (2011), Tintoretto (2012) and Titian (2013), as well as numerous exhibition projects in Italy and abroad. He is the author of more than three hundred publications and important monographs. His popular appearances related to the national artistic heritage on major Italian and foreign radio and television channels are numerous.