The Birmingham Contemporary Music Group opened their 2004–05 season on 19 September 2004 in typically adventurous, innovatory style with an evening of music — including no less than four world premieres — all centred on Italo Calvino's 1972 book Invisible Cities, in which traveller Marco Polo describes, in imaginary dialogues with Kublai Khan, fifty amazing cities, all of which turn out to be Venice.