Aldo Clementi marks out the distance with an absolute refusal to provide narratives, whether of tension resolved, or simply of that logically unending succession of states of being so dear to many of his contemporaries. His materials, whether gathered from a tonal past, generated as a jeu d'esprìt from the names of dedicatees, or produced by a purely abstract process, are projected into a rotational steady state that has no logical end or beginning. (David Osmond-Smith, 2005)

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Die Schachtel is proud to present "Punctum Contra Punctum", a deluxe compact disc box dedicated to Aldo Clementi, one of the most important figures of Italian music of the 20th Century. Born in Sicily in 1925, he studied piano and later composition under the guidance of teachers such as Goffredo Petrassi and Bruno Maderna, who also introduced him to electronic music at the RAI Studio of Phonology in Milan. Like many composers of the period, he employed serial technique early in his work, to abandon it later on in favor of a very personal, ingenious and unique method for creating new music. Blessed with extraordinary skills of invention and assimilation, Clementi may be the one living composer for whom "genius" is not too strong a word. His musical language is extremely articulate and profound, resulting in a fascination with obsessive repetitions, collages, canons, and incredibly complex rhythmic textures which have to be heard to be believed. At the same time his music maintains to stay fresh, dynamic and highly enjoyable. A must-have for all the modern music lovers, and a great discovery for the most adventourous and prepared listener