Restlessly creative, FEDERICO ALBANESE’S ever-evolving quest for new sounds and experimentation has been more extensive than most. After an early childhood playing piano, he became interested in jazz, picking up the clarinet, before a teenage fascination with punk rock bands led to him learning bass guitar. Later still, he devoured the new-age music of the late 90s, immersing himself in the works of artists such as Brian Eno and William Basinski.

Swirling all that together, and having moved to Berlin from his native Italy, ALBANESE wrote and recorded four albums over his eight years there; each focused on a specific theme, and each adored by critics and fans alike. But for his latest album, Blackbirds And The Sun Of October, he felt a change was required, both thematically and geographically. “I started my whole career in Berlin, my children were born there, and I have a deep connection with all that, but it will never be my home,” he says. “And as beautiful as Berlin can be – it’s a very beautiful city – it’s a different kind of beauty to Monferrato. The northern Italian countryside in the fall is a whole different story.”

This return to his home turf in autumn 2022 – being back in the picturesque countryside, and feeling, as he says, “profoundly connected to this place”, –proved inspiring in so many ways. “There’s a sense of freedom about returning that seeps into everything you do – including music.” His compositions started to reflect the deep, natural beauty that surrounded him – the colours, the wildlife, the changing of the seasons – but also the rich history, and the many myths and legends passed down through generations over thousands of years. “This place breathes history,” he adds. “It’s very romantic in that sense.”

This new chapter proved to be a significant evolution in ALBANESE’S work. His previous albums often explored themes of memory, inner worlds, and imaginary landscapes, with each album having a distinct, thematic focus. In contrast, Blackbirds And The Sun Of October draws directly from the physical world around him – the history, nature, and beauty. “I can sense the freedom in this music,” he says, “and there’s more positivity in it. I can feel it’s something different than before.” He talks about the music flowing out of him, naturally, a reflection of his surroundings, and how emboldening this was.

That freedom – and the reflection of his heritage and his return to his roots – also led him to employ a rich tapestry of musical influences, blending classical music with more contemporary sounds. Yet the natural beauty of the Italian countryside initially posed a challenge – how to create something that matched the beauty already present around him? Pushed to explore new directions and ideas in his music, Blackbirds And The Sun Of October includes compositions that feel timeless, drawing on the classical traditions of the region, alongside more modern, experimental pieces. “I felt freer to do things that I normally wouldn’t do, like adding drums, or writing a suite for just piano and cello that could be 400 years old.”

So we have the quiet, plaintive piano and strings of “The Prince and the Emperor”, based on the tale of Knight Aleramo and Emperor Otto I from the 10th Century AD, and the bright, hopeful “Adelasia”, inspired by the Princess who so charmed Aleramo. There’s a fragility here too, soft moments of gentle beauty that glow like sunlight on dew; the delicacy of “A Story Yet To Be Told” and “Song For the Village”, or the calming tranquillity of “Wallpaper Of Dreams”.

Then there’s the title track, a more modern, bustling composition built around an ascending piano line and steady drums, a hint of darkness swirling around in the background. It was, says ALBANESE, the first thing he wrote on his arrival to Monferrato, just as the autumn colours were coming into bloom; serendipity dictated the title.

“Blackbirds and the sun of October is a title that just felt right from the start – I wanted to find an image that could perfectly capture the essence of the place and time where the album began to take shape”, Albanese explains. “The blackbirds, the autumn light – there was a sense of magic in those moments that I wanted to translate into music. It conveyed all the elements that made this album what it is.”