After the death of Luciano Berio, Sciarrino is now widely regarded as the leading Italian contemporary composer. Entirely self-taught, he was born in Palermo (Sicily) but now lives in Città di Castello in Italy. Sciarrino uses sound as a living organism – his music begins at the very limits of perception where silence emerges into sound. Nicolas Hodges has been collaborating with Sciarrino since 1996: this disc is the fruit of that decade-long relationship, includes many pieces specially composed for Hodges, and was made with the composer's artistic collaboration.

This recording was made in BBC Maida Vale Studios in 2003 in the presence of the composer. It is a co-production of Metronome Recordings and BBC Radio 3 with the help of WDR the German radio station. We also thank Ricordi London for supporting this release.