Versatile and prolific author, excellent orchestra leader, Willian Waton was born in a musicians family on 29th of March 1902, in Oldham in England. He was a church chorister and at the age of only ten, he was called in the choir of the cathedral of Oxford University and he started studying autodidact compositions of autodidact and composing the Viola Concerto, very positively approved.
The first soundtrack of a 
long series is from 1930, for the film “Escape me Never” and in 1935 he composed his first Symphony. Violin Concerto from 1939 was famous too. Walton stood out also as an orchestra leader. Therefore, the beginning the Second World War arrived in a particularly happy phase for the English musician, who in 1941 was called to military life and was commissioned to write soundtracks for patriotic films. He also wrote other soundtracks for Laurence Olivier’s (who he met in 1937 and became friend with) Shakespearian films. After the war, the Sonata for Violin and the works dedicated to the coronation of Queen Elisabeth, attained success. She conferred him the tile of Sir. In 1948, during a trip to Argentina, Walton met the young Susana Gil Passo during a press conference and he was captivated. They got married in two months and went to Europe, and decided to move to Italy. They chose the island of Ischia and in October 1949 they arrived on the island and rented a house in Forio, where few years later they bought a land in a fertile valley surrounded by volcanic rocks. A wild place, fascinating, where Susan started protecting a garden even before the construction of the house. For the garden, to which she gave the name of the most common plant of the area, “La Mortella”, lady Walton employed the great landscaper architect Russell Page. In that oasis, when Walton was not abroad for his numerous concerts, he found the place ideal to develop his creativity. This s is when the Troilus and Cressida score was born, a big public and critical success in 1954. At La Mortella, he worked on the Violin Concerto played in 1957, as well as the numerous following compositions and which appointed him among the great authors of XX century. Walton died on 8th of March 1983 in his insular residence, where the William’s Rock looking at the sun guards his ashes. In 1991, lady Susana decided to open the garden to the public and the Walton Foundation was instituted in order to make known Sir William’s work, to promote the execution of his music and encourage, give value and train young musicians and young orchestras, who perform during the long concert season at “La Mortella” from April to October.
