Why play early music on the accordion?

This was definitely a question I asked myself when Giorgio asked me to help him put together a programme for accordion and baroque violin. There is certainly no historical connection between these two instruments, but their many affinities in terms of sound and aesthetics convinced me that this could be a winning combination and that the contrasting relationship between the two instruments might work very well.

The first trial run suggested that this musical duo could well have enormous potential.

The accordion showed itself to be a truly “baroque” instrument. It could pick out the phrases with great precision, perform crescendos and sudden diminuendos, execute the "basso continuo" harmony very reliably and accurately, and also converse with the violin on equal terms.

To sum up, it provided an authentic portable organ with some incredible musical possibilities!

Admittedly, there is a considerable disparity between this anti-historical formation and music performed to the very strictest philological criteria. Basically, however, it is perhaps one of the highest purposes of art in general and of music in particular to discover meaningful links between apparently irreconcilable and disparate entities.

Born in Ravenna, began his musical studies when he was very young devoting himself to singing, guitar and violin.

He studied the violin with Carlo Chiarappa, later specializing as a violist with Christoph Schiller and Juri Bashmet.

As a violist he collaborated with the Teatro Alla Scala and the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala of Milan, and with composers such as Luciano Berio and Azio Corghi in performings and recordings.

He collaborates as violinist, violist, lute and guitar player with many ensembles like Il Giardino Armonico, Accademia Bizantina, Les Talens Liryque, Academia Montis Regalis and L'Arpeggiata with which he has made several tournees in Europe, America and Asia.

He has played with Anner Bijlsma, Reinhard Goebel, Gustav Leonhardt, Bob van Asperen, Giuliano Carmignola, Christophe Rousset, Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky.

He has recorded for Naive, Decca, Virgin, Teldec, Zig-Zag, Harmonia Mundi.

He is currently professor at the “N. Rota” Conservatory of Monopoli (Bari).