Lycopersicon was founded by Gaetano Nasillo early in 2012, with the idea of freely developing his own music project centred on the cello. He worked with other musicians who, like him, dedicate themselves to the historic approach, and enjoy playing music on original instruments. Lycopersicon is a group whose members vary but the cello is the fulcrum, holding the “place of honour”. 
Lycopersicon’s interpretations are based on research at the sources, including the 19th century: lieder and operatic fantasie for soprano, cello and piano, virtuoso pieces for two cellos, exploration of Boccherini’s works, Paganini’s trios and quartets for guitar and strings, and a fresh look at the classical repertoire – Beethoven, Mozart, Ries, Viotti, to name a few – with period instruments. This unusual quartet, with three cellos and a double bass, proposes a project entitled Il profondo sentire dell’anima (The soul hears deeply).
Each interpretation is based on thorough historical and esthetic research on the composer, with a view to an “overall” approach. This work on the original sources leads to rediscovery and appreciation of some of the less known composers – Italians and others – and their individual characteristics.
Lycopersicon aims for a style respecting each score in detail, reproducing the typically Italian sound that made the cello so famous throughout Europe in the 19th century, bound closely to its song-like “voice”.