The Violins of Cremona, Homage to Kreisler / Salvatore Accardo, Laura Manzini (1994)

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The Violins of Cremona, Homage to Kreisler / Salvatore Accardo, Laura Manzini (1994)

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Salvatore Accardo gave his first professional recital in 1954 at the age of 13, in a programme that included Paganini Capricci. In 1956, when he was 15, Accardo won the Geneva Competition and in 1958 became the first winner of the Paganini Competition in Genoa. His vast repertoire ranges from pre-Bach to post-Berg; composers like Sciarrino, Donatoni, Piston, Piazzolla and Xenakis have written for him.

In addition to playing regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, Salvatore Accardo performs successful recitalsand is particularly devoted to chamber music. In 1992 he founded the Accardo Quartet and, because of his deep involvement with young people, in 1986 he founded the Academy Walter Stauffer together with Giuranna, Filippini and Petracchiin Cremona, where they regularly give master-classes. In 1971 he founded the Settimane Musicali Internazionali in Naples, where the audience is admitted to rehearsals, and the Cremona String Festival.

In recent years, Accardo has also devoted part of his activities to conducting and has appeared with a number of important European and American Orchestras. Healso recorded as a Conductor with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. In 1987 Accardo made a highly-praised debut as an opera conductor in a new production of Rossini L’occasione fa il ladro at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, directed by Ponnelle. In the following years he conducted at the Rome Opera House, Monte Carlo Opera, at Lille and at the Naples Opera House.

In 1992, in celebration of 200th anniversary of Rossini’s birth, he conducted both in Pesaro and Rome the first-ever modern edition of the Messa di Gloria (recorded live by Warner Fonit), a feat which he repeated in 1995 inVienna with the Wiener Symphoniker.

In addition to the recordings of Paganini’s Capricci and Concertos for violin for DGG label and numerous recording for Philips such as Sonatas and Partite of Bach and the woks for violin and orchestra of Max Bruch, Salvatore Accardo recorded for ASV, Dynamic, EMI, Sony Classical, Collins Classic e FONE’. His most recent recordings are; Concerto in D major and Two Romances of Beethoven with Orchestra Accademia alla Scala conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini for Sony Classical; Homage to Heifetz and Homage to Kreisler for FONE’ in which he plays the legendary violins from the collection of Palazzo Comunale di Cremona. Always for FONE’ there are recordings of Brahms Sonatas for violin and piano, Schubert Quartets and Paganini Capricci, for Dynamic Accardo plays Paganini’s violin. Foné re-masterised the Mozart’s Complete works for violin in 13 CDs, using high quality valve technology.

Salvatore Accardo was awarded the Premio Abbiati by the Italian critics, in recognition of the exceptional standard of his playing and interpretation. Italy’s highest honour, the Cavaliere di Gran Croce, was bestowed upon Accardo by the President of Italy in 1982. In 1996 the Beijing Conservatoire named him “most hoourable Professor”. In 1999 he was granted the order of "Commandeur dans l'ordre du mérit culturel", the highest honour of the principality of Monacoand in 2002 he received the prestigious “Una Vita per la Musica” Award.

In 1996 Accardo re-founded the Orchestra da Camera Italiana (O.C.I.), whose members are the best pupils of Cremona “Walter Stauffer” Academy. In 1997, he registered two CDs with them: The virtuoso violin in Italy and Masterpieces for violin and strings for Warner Fonit Cetra, marking the recording debut of the Orchestra da Camera Italiana. In 1999 Accardo and O.C.I. registered the complete Paganini Concerti for violin and orchestra for EMI Classics, the Concerto per la Costituzioneand, in 2003, the complete Astor Piazzolla works for violin in 3 SACDs for Foné.

Accardo isthe owner of two Stradivarius violins: the Hart ex Francescatti 1727 and the Firebird ex Saint-Exupéry 1718.

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The Violins of Cremona, Homage to Kreisler / Salvatore Accardo, Laura Manzini (1994)

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