Phillips Salvatore Accardo

Accardo's performances are nothing short of spectacular, and (the late) Kurt Masur and the Gewandhaus's performances never disappoint. Most classical audiophiles may be familiar only with Bruch's first violin concerto and the "Scottish Fantasy," but there are two more wonderful violin concertos, a Romance, a Konzertstuck, a Serenade, a piece entitled "Adagio Appassionato" and a piece that was new to me, "In Memoriam," a very beautiful and moving composition that is the last band on the last record.

Salvatore Accardo; born September 26, 1941 in Turin, northern Italy) is an Italian violin virtuoso and conductor. Accardo studied violin in the southern Italian city of Naples in the 1950s. He gave his first professional recital at the age of 13 performing Paganini's Capricci. In 1956 Accardo won the Geneva Competition and in 1958 became the first prize winner of the Paganini Competition in Genoa.

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…