Known for her refined neoclassical voice, the new album from Italian composer and pianist Olivia Belli draws inspiration from Homer’s Odyssey. Belli was fascinated by Odysseus’s destined return to Ithaca and the idea that every life follows a journey toward its true purpose. This concept shaped her new piano concerto, Daimon, recorded with the German Chamber Orchestra Berlin and influenced by Italian Baroque traditions. The concerto unfolds in three movements — “The Departure”, “The Journey”, and “The Return”. “The Journey” forms the emotional core, reflecting both Odysseus’s trials and Belli’s own path through hardship and catharsis. The album also features Belli’s Ithaca Suite for mixed chamber ensemble, portraying the figures Odysseus encounters upon his return including his son Telemachus and wife Penelope. Guest artists include the Canea Quartett, violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, saxophonist Jess Gillam, and cellist Raphaela Gromes. The album concludes with the Sonatina for Nausica, inspired by the princess who aided the shipwrecked Odysseus — a reminder, Belli notes, of the value of compassion in a world that often measures worth by success.