A Career On Track

A Career On Track

This Italian musician proved great musical skills at an early age:

he affirmed while showing gratefulness to the mentors who shaped his professional development. Ever since Accardo jumped into the contemporary music scene he began to enjoy his success in winning the Vercelli International Contest (1955), the Geneva International Contest (1956), the “Academia Chigiana” Contest (1957), the RAI-TV Spring Trophy (1958), the same year he won the prestigious “Niccoló Paganini” International Contest in Genoa, marking the beginning of his extraordinary career as a violinist, as he says himself:

He is a promoter and an artistic director of the concert series “Musica Insieme” (Music Together) at Villa Pignatelli, Naples, during the “International Week of Music”, an event that revitalizes the musical tradition of the city. In 1982 he was awarded the most important and honorable title in Italy: the “Gran Croce di Cavaliere”, by the president of the Republic of Italy, Sandro Pertini. The international critics currently consider him, together with Uto Ughi, one of the best violinists in the world.

La música es vida

Music Is Life

For Accardo, music means life.

What is most important for a musician? 

Many things: talent, a good teacher, a supportive family. Seriousness, humility, lots of humility! A deep respect for composers and scores. It is also very important to make as much chamber music as possible because it teaches you to play listening to others so you can not play by yourself; this is one of life’s fundamentals because your freedom ends when someone else’s freedom begins, and this is essential to exercise music.

Besides violin, what other instrument do you like? 

It is not about the instrument, but besides violin I play some piano, viola and others. Music is what matters. What I love is my contact with others. I love to teach and everything involving coming closer to others.

If you had not been a musician what other profession would you have chosen? 

If not a musician I am sure that I would have been a football player! I used to be good when I was a child, but eventually I did not have time to do both things. I do not regret it though. My career as a football player would have ended very early. Physical conditions eventually run out in sports. In turn, music continues with time. Besides, satisfaction with music is something from within, an inner richness that fills you.

What music genre do you identify yourself the most with?

I identify myself with what I play at the moment. Every time I play something, it is the most important interpretation for me at that time. One must play each work with the same enthusiasm, with the same energy, the same interest, the same respect because that is the only way to give its due importance to what one is playing. I do love to listen to Bach, Schubert, Mozart. When one interprets music one must respect the score, what is written, besides injecting one’s own genuine personality, one’s own energy.

A Bridge Between Italy and Venezuela

A Bridge Between Italy and Venezuela

Accardo says about his work as a soloist and conductor of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela:

What is your opinion of ‘El Sistema’ in general? 

There is no musical education in Italy, music is not included in schools as part of their curriculum. You have something unique in Venezuela with your orchestra system and the world should learn from you. You are doing something truly admirable.

What differences do you see between the orchestra system in Italy and Venezuela?

There is no musical or cultural education in general in Italy. They are not included in the schools education. Unless one is a music lover by tradition or personal interest, that approach does not exist. There are some places like the Fiesole School near Florence, where they have something similar to what you do here, but it is very small in comparison, and it is a private institution. There are no organizations in charge of yielding any musical education. It is important for me to be able to choose what I want to listen to, and in order to achieve this it is important to know the options available..

The Venezuelan youth orchestras have worked hard to highlight Latin American composers, is there one that you like in particular? 

I was very close to Astor Piazzolla, whom I met in Buenos Aires. Of course, when one meets a composer in person one understands his music more, and Piazzolla is a fantastic person. He did great compositions, tango with great content, working to spread popular music.

What is the most important thing that you take with you from working with this orchestra?

The contact with all the musicians and their enthusiasm. They have a very important thirst to learn. I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with this orchestra, and I feel an incredible energy. It is a contagious happiness.

Translated by Rolando Betancourt