At Puccini’s time, transcriptions were very important and widespread, you just need to take a look at some of the scores published by Casa Ricordi to get an idea: in fact, on the back cover (of the enclosed booklet) you would be able to read an astonishing list of transcriptions, of fantasias and pot-pourris, either rewritten for piano solo, or for piano fourhands, or for various other ensembles. It was the result of a publishing policy that was in full swing at that time and that was addressed to a large public of amateurs, a public keen to learn the repertoire. These pieces were often played at home, in front of a very small and select audience; amateurs often wanted to perform operas that they had attended. But that is not all. These performances were also able to popularize compositions that would otherwise have been left unknown. In the nineteenth century the transcriptions for piano, especially for piano four hands, were an important vehicle for the diffusion of musical knowledge. On this CD the piano duo of Fabrizio Datteri and Nadia Lencioni performs compositions inspired by the famous works and the immortal melodies of Giacomo Puccini.