Salvatore Accardo gave his first professional recital at the age of 13, in a program that included Paganini’s Capricci. At the age of 15, Accardo won the Geneva Competition and in 1958 he became the first winner of the Paganini Competition in Genoa. His vast repertoire ranges from pre-bach to post-Berg; composers such as Sciarrino, Donatoni, Piston, Piazzolla and Xenakis have written for him. In addition to playing regularly with the most important orchestras and conductors in the world, Salvatore Accardo has been a successful soloist and conductor. He dedicated himself in particular to chamber music, having founded the Accardo Quartet in 1992.
In 1986 his interest in the discovery and training of new young talents led him to found the Walter Stauffer Academy together with Giuranna, Filippini and Petracchi in Cremona, where they regularly hold master-classes. In 1971 he founded the Festival “Settimane Musicali Internazionali” in Naples, where the public is admitted to rehearsals, and the Festival degli Archi in Cremona.
He recorded Paganini’s Capricci and Concerti for DGG and many other recordings for Philips, such as: Bach’s Sonatas, Partitas for solo violin and the complete work for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch. In addition to this, it also has an extensive discography for ASV, Dynamic, EMI, Sony Classical and FONE’.
