Storia di Morgano

The Story of Morgano is the result of a commission by the Italian Guitar Quartet for the guitarist Silvio Catalini, who chose the subject and setting: the story of a knight told by his mother.
It was the time of the Kamikaze attacks in Israel by Palestinians, and of their mothers who, speaking on TV, proclaimed they were 'proud of the sacrifice' of their own sons. One evening a mother rebelled and declared that her son's death had devastated her, that it was wrong, atrocious and above all senseless. For Catalini and Orlandi it was a veritable illumination: they had found the essence of the composition. While Catalini was writing the instrumental parts, Orlandi, who had just won the De Andrè prize for poetry, developed the texts.

The story of Morgano is set at the time of the Crusades: a mother who has already lost her husband in battle, now fears for the life of her son, little Morgano. His grandfather, Hares, a knight convinced of the holiness of the war against the Infidel, snatches Morgano so he can train him to grow up to be a knight who hates the Infidel. All the values the mother has passed onto her young one: the love of nature, and of creation, the importance of knowing how to forgive, of a world living in peace seem to vanish like snow in the sun. When Morgano returns to his mother after his training he has changed. His expression is full of hate and rancour, his smile has gone, the boy doesn't sing anymore. The woman is desperate.

Morgan sets off for the Crusades; on the battlefield he realises the absurdity of killing other men in the name of God, who should be the highest expression of Love. He therefore decides to embrace a new spirituality based on Nature, Song, Love & Joy. His mother comes to know of her son's conversion on her deathbed, and knowing he is happy, she dies in peace.