Editor: Valentino Lorenzetti is an accordionist with vast experience, a musician of rare sensitivity and culture, as well as a refined specialist in electronic accordions. Through this rich conversation, the artist born in Crocette, a district of Castelfidardo, recounts some of the most important moments of his life.

Q. How and when did you start studying music, and what factors led you to choose the accordion?

I lived in Crocette, a small hamlet of Castelfidardo, with my mother and father. Downstairs lived my uncle Lucio, my father’s brother. He played the accordion, and I never got tired of listening to him. I was truly in love with the accordion. That’s how my father gave me a small four-bass accordion. Putting the accordion on was like embracing the world. I was only four years old, but from that moment my life changed. By ear, I tried and tried again to repeat the notes I heard my uncle play. Soon, those few initial notes turned into complete phrases.

At the age of seven, I began to study music seriously. I started with Paolo Polidori. I enjoyed going to lessons, but after a short period, given my abilities and enthusiasm, he advised me to go to Giovanni Marcosignori, Gervasio’s father.

At lessons, there were only two of us: me and Sandro Garbattini, also from Crocette but several years older than me. For me, he was like a brother… His bicycle also became my means of transportation. When Sandro had to stop for family reasons, I suffered deeply.

Lessons took place on Saturday afternoons in a small ground-floor room, and I still remember my excitement when, unexpectedly, Gervasio entered the room. Stroking my hair, he said: “Valentino, my father has spoken very highly of you!” I, little as I was, felt like a giant!

And with Sandro, it was destined that we would meet again. He introduced me to Maestro Adamo Volpi, organist of the Basilica of Loreto and a great composer of music for the accordion. His advice was fundamental for my continued growth. We formed a trio with Sandro and Giancarlo Spegni for numerous concerts.

Why did I choose the accordion? Out of love and admiration for my uncle Lucio, and because in Castelfidardo, the sound of the accordion was everywhere, and great artists, even Americans, in various companies in Castelfidardo, never spared performances that made one dream.

Q. What are your earliest memories related to performing in concerts?

I was ten years old when, at the Astra cinema-theater in Castelfidardo, they had me open the concert of a Fisorchestra named after a famous company, Zero Sette. This orchestra, composed entirely of young people from Castelfidardo, had just returned from a competition in Castellamare di Stabia, which they had won.

It was my first time on a stage. I was extremely excited, but judging by the applause, I didn’t do so badly! From that moment on, I decided that the stage would be my natural habitat…

Q. What motivated you to pursue a career as an accordionist while also becoming a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery?

The reason I decided to become a doctor is linked to an episode from my childhood. One day, a doctor came to our home. The incredible respect my family had for him, his confident and professional manner, sparked something in my little mind. I would become a doctor! I studied with maximum dedication and earned my degree, graduating with the highest honors. This was my way of repaying my family’s sacrifices.

But during this journey, I seriously risked not completing my degree and even giving up the accordion forever. The accordion was not very popular among teenagers at the time, so I had practically set it aside to focus on the electronic organ, also working as a demonstrator for various companies while attending school…

It happened that my uncle Lucio had emigrated and was living in Chicago. While I was in my first year at university, I decided to join him. I almost immediately received a Green Card. I started working with my uncle at Targ & Dinner, a company dealing in musical instruments.

One evening, in a venue frequented mainly by Black jazz musicians, in front of an electronic organ, I couldn’t resist and started playing. With such intensity that a representative of the PLAY BOY CLUB invited me to audition. I immediately received a job offer: a three-year tour across the United States… My father threatened to come to Chicago and bring me back immediately. Fortunately, the wife of one of the Play Boy Club bosses convinced me to return to Italy and resume my medical studies.

Thus, studies and accordion continued to progress in perfect harmony…

Q. When did you hold your first professional concerts?

Emilio Zuppante, then owner of EXCELSIOR, welcomed me like a father and immediately introduced me to Peppino Principe and Wolmer Beltrami. With these two great artists, I performed numerous concerts in Italy and abroad.

Q. You collaborated for many years with Excelsior and other accordion manufacturing companies. Can you describe some of the accordion products you helped develop and present?

I like to remember the last product from EXCELSIOR: an electronic accordion, the Digisyzer, which was built in Japan by Kawai engineers together with me and especially engineer Marco Galeazzi. In addition to the unmistakable Excelsior accordion timbre, electronic effects were added to faithfully reproduce the sound of piano, electronic organ, violin, trumpet, and more… A still-valid instrument.

Thanks to presenting this electronic accordion, I had the opportunity to travel the world and appear on widely watched television shows such as Domenica In, Serata d’Onore, Bel Paese, Telemike…

Recently, thanks to KORG and especially my brother Stelvio, I have been studying the new FISA SUPREMA accordion, which I am increasingly using in concerts and for producing a new CD in collaboration with a team of top musicians from Milan.

Q. Your brother, Stelvio Lorenzetti, is also a prominent figure in music. Did his career influence your choices, or vice versa?
My brother and I have a ten-year age difference…

When he was a teenager, Stelvio began studying the electronic organ and won an important competition in Recanati with it. When he performed in the town hall and received great success, I cried tears of joy. Let’s say that the only influence I had over him in music was every time I went to “retrieve” him from the football field where he played with friends to bring him home on time for music lessons. Stelvio later pursued other entrepreneurial paths, still related to music and musical instruments.

The only true influence between us is the deep affection that still unites us. We rejoice in each other’s successes!

Q. Your accordion performances have taken you to many countries. Can you list some and describe the types of performances and musical styles?

My accordion concerts have taken me to virtually every continent. Using my vacation days and permits, I participated each year in the most important fairs worldwide. Thanks to the Marche Region, the European Cultural Institute, and my brother-in-law Nello Gabrielloni, owner of EXCELSIOR, I performed in unforgettable concerts in Mexico City, Sydney, Moscow (Teatro d’Arte Moderna with Jimmy Fontana and Giovanni Allevi), Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Sapporo, São Paulo, Cairo, and Genoa for the Colombiadi…

My repertoire ranges from classical to jazz, from traditional to modern…

Q. What were some of your most memorable performances?

Undoubtedly in Castelfidardo, during a show presented by Pippo Baudo where Gervasio Marcosignori was guest of honor.

Another memorable performance was also in Castelfidardo, live on the Mike Bongiorno show Rischiatutto. However, New Ulm was a concert with Wolmer Beltrami where, at the end, the entire audience stood and applauded wildly. Equally spectacular was a concert with Massimiliano Pitocco and Giuliano Cameli in Sydney, during World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II.

Then the musical ARMONICAMENTE, produced with the Compagnia della Rancia under the direction of Saverio Marconi. There was no orchestra, just me on the Excelsior electronic accordion (performing arrangements from famous musicals) accompanied by Maestro De Luca and two other exceptional accordionists: Maestro Massimo Marconi and Maestro Mirco Patarini

But the most beautiful memory is undoubtedly Sweden. In Stockholm, precisely in the Nobel Prize Hall, in front of a representative of the Queen and two thousand people, during a concert with Maestro Mirco Patarini and Maestro Roberto Lucanero. I was last on the program. At the end of my performance, when I looked up, all two thousand Swedes were standing and applauding… Immense satisfaction! I will never forget that image! Recently, I have also included in my concerts original pieces I composed during the lockdown, part of the CD Magia di un sogno, with the invaluable contribution of Maestro Massimo Varini.

Q. In your development as an accordionist, there is a very important figure who immediately believed in your talent and enormous potential: Giovanni Marcosignori, father of the celebrated Gervasio. Could you share the most significant anecdotes related to this experience?

“Giovanni was a unique figure! I was deeply attached to him. Due to his shyness, in three years I only heard him play the accordion once. With his eyes closed, he touched the keyboard with exceptional lightness. The instrument spoke. When he stopped, he looked at me almost regretfully: ‘I’m an old pretentious man.’ One Saturday afternoon, while I was practicing a piece by Frosini, Gervasio entered the room. My heart started beating so fast I felt sick. Turning to his father: ‘Is this the boy you always talk about?’ and he stroked my hair. Legendary were the snacks of salami, prosciutto, and new wine while watching the Giro d’Italia on television. He loved cycling and, when young, had been a skilled rider.”

Q. You have become one of the most accomplished and renowned performers of the electronic accordion, thanks in part to your collaboration with the Excelsior company of Castelfidardo and Kawai. How did this professional partnership come about?

“I owe everything to Excelsior, and in particular to Emilio Zuppante, the owner. ‘They’ve spoken highly of you,’ he told me at our first meeting. ‘We have just started producing electronic instruments. You can help us.’ In the 1980s, electronics were becoming fundamentally important in all sectors. Musical instrument manufacturers realized it was necessary to adopt new technology to keep up with the times. Japanese companies like Yamaha, Roland, Korg, and Kawai were astonishing the world with the quality of their products. Finding a partnership with one of them would have been exceptional. Emilio Zuppante succeeded, especially thanks to the prestige the Excelsior brand enjoyed in Japan. The engineers at Kawai designed the Digisyzer together with engineer Marco Galeazzi, a great friend, and me at their Hamamatsu headquarters — an electronic accordion that marked the first collaboration between a Castelfidardo company and a Japanese giant.”

Q. Wolmer Beltrami, an extraordinary accordionist and composer, especially prominent in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, was a fundamental figure in your career, as you developed a deep friendship and mutual respect. What were the most valuable lessons, both human and musical, that Beltrami imparted during your fruitful collaborations?

“To launch the Digisyzer in Italy, Zuppante contacted RAI. The doors of Domenica In opened. Pippo Baudo also wanted Wolmer Beltrami. Thus, a beautiful friendship developed between us. We flew together to the United States for a concert in New Ulm, Minnesota. On the plane, as he recounted his life, the mature man sitting next to me became the enthusiastic young man who lived for music and through music. He spoke of Mina, Fausto Leali, Kramer, the trio with the sisters, Morricone, Nino Rota, Fellini, Orson Welles, from London to the United Arab Emirates, to Cinecittà. In New Ulm, he was introduced as the Paganini of the accordion. His technique, musical taste, and creativity thrilled the audience. ‘He’s number one!’ were the comments. Among the skyscrapers of Manhattan, he hummed: ‘I have two or three themes I want to develop for your electronic accordion when I return to Cerveteri.’ Wolmer, a great man, a great artist.”

Q. Another sacred icon of the accordion played a leading role in your artistic life: Peppino Principe. What memories do you have of him?

“Peppino, truly a sacred icon. I was always impressed by his ability to engage any type of audience, from the least demanding to the most refined. He could be simple in complexity. A great jazz musician. Sometimes he would come to the demonstration room at Excelsior while I was practicing and listen in silence. Then he would make me repeat passages and stop me: ‘Here I would add just a string pad, here I’d include some brass, the ending should be fuller.’ I couldn’t ignore him. I last saw him at the Teatro Astra in Castelfidardo when he turned 90: ‘You know, one of my jazz records is third in the world ranking. You don’t need my advice anymore!’”

Q. Valentino Lorenzetti, over your extensive concert career, you’ve had the opportunity to perform all over the world: from the United States to Australia, from Mexico to Egypt, from Canada to Russia, from Uruguay to Brazil. But there is one concert that represents the true cornerstone of your career: the live performance with Maestros Roberto Lucanero and Mirco Patarini on February 20, 2001, at the Konserthuset in Stockholm, the hall where the Nobel Prizes are awarded. Out of the countless concerts you’ve performed worldwide, why did this one in Sweden leave such an indelible mark?

“The Konserthuset is Sweden’s most prestigious concert hall. Artists whose very names made your knees shake had performed there. In the dressing room, a solemn photo of Rachmaninov, signed by the great pianist, loomed on the wall. There would be 2,000 spectators at our concert, all Swedish. Roberto and Mirco played brilliantly. A tremendous success. ‘Now it’s my turn to ruin everything!’ I thought, sitting on the stool in the center of the stage. I swear that the half-hour during which I played my pieces still feels unreal to me. The only thing that remained in my memory was the moment when, raising my eyes from the accordion, I saw 2,000 Swedes standing and applauding.”

Q. You are the author of three books: Uno sguardo verso il mare, Pagine profumate di nostalgia, La droga del coraggio. What inspired you to write them, and what were the goals of each?

With my second book, I received an award in a literary competition. The goal was mainly to record my memories on paper, fearing they might be lost… To tell my life, my family, my profession as a doctor, and, of course, the countless memories from my experience as a concert performer.

The original cover was designed by a versatile artist, also my uncle by marriage: Franco Luchetti!

The third book was born from a promise I made to a very dear person who, unfortunately, passed away… Only in this third book, due to the delicate subject, are there elements of fiction, whereas the first two books are entirely factual.

The publisher is KIMERIK, an Italian publishing house based in Patti (ME), Sicily. The cover was kindly created by the famous painter and engraver Maestro Carlo Iacomucci.

Q. You have performed with some of the most famous legends of Italian accordion music. Is there an artist you would like to pay special tribute to for their influence on your career?

To Giovanni Marcosignori, Gervasio’s father. His shyness was such that he was almost embarrassed to play. When I told Gervasio that his father had played a melody from a famous opera for me, he could hardly believe it. Listening to him was divine. Giovanni and the accordion seemed to merge as one.

With Gervasio, a deep friendship was born, also in memory of his beloved father.

Q. Do you have any funny memories from your concert experiences?

In New Ulm, I went on stage first. Wolmer played after me. As soon as he started, the applause overwhelmed him. I was thinking that few artists were as great as him when suddenly I saw Wolmer put down the accordion and run backstage. The organizer immediately asked me what was happening. I reached him, and he, with disarming candor, said: “I suffer from an ulcer,” showing me a bottle of Fernet, “It’s the only remedy that eases the pain. Take a sip, it’s good for you too!”

Q. Corriere del Conero 2016, Entertainment Staff wrote:

“Loreto – Valentino Lorenzetti presents Pagine profumate di nostalgia… With the Narrators guiding the audience through readings of selected pages by the Author, images, anecdotes, and, in the background, melodies and virtuoso performances on the accordion by Lorenzetti himself.”

It sounds like a very interesting project!

Q. Recordings or videos?

More than the images, what was significant for me was reading some pages of the book alongside remarkable people I had personally known during my experience as a surgeon at the “Santa Casa” Hospital in Loreto, with curious anecdotes associated with them.

Among all memories, those related to Monsignor Loris Francesco Capovilla stand out. During his tenure as Archbishop of Loreto, he always treated me with great affection and respect, involving me whenever music could provide a little relief to patients and their families…

In the pieces I performed, I put all my love and gratitude for a city that has given me so much and always rewarded me with admiration.

Q. Do you have any musical advice for aspiring accordionists?

Every instrument must be loved to be mastered. In particular, the accordion, which you hold tightly as if it were your own creation…

Q. You recently retired from your medical career to focus more on music. Do you have musical aspirations or future goals?

I have recorded two CDs. In the first, MAGIA DI UN SOGNO, I performed pieces written by me, later enriched by arrangements by guitarist Maestro Massimo Varini. Some of these original pieces were also presented in the show CHITARMONICA, where the guitar (by Maestro Varini) meets the accordion with a string orchestra from the Beniamino Gigli Institute.

The second CD is titled HORIZON SIGHT, featuring Claudio Calzolari, Andrea Verardi, Guido Mazzella, Andrea Calzolari. These are the great musicians with whom I have had the honor to collaborate.

I hope the pieces from this latest CD can be used as soundtracks for films, TV series, or as background music for documentaries, etc.
I also hope to continue perfecting my skills on the KORG SUPREMA accordion to present it as it deserves in future concerts.

Q. In the future, how do you think the accordion will fit into the general musical landscape?

The accordion’s journey in the general musical landscape has already begun, and it will become increasingly important and sought after. Combined with modern, contemporary equipment, the accordion produces truly surprising effects and sounds.
You can already hear this by listening to HORIZON SIGHT!

Courtesy of the Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) Coupe Mondiale website:

CIA Merit Award to Valentino Lorenzetti

CIA Merit Award recognising outstanding contribution to the international accordion movement by the Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes (CIA) presented to Valentino Lorenzetti (Italy) at the 2024 Coupe Mondiale in Castelfidardo, 10 September 2024.

CoupeMondiale.org reports:

Valentino Lorenzetti was born in Castelfidardo, home of the accordion. His father Bruno was a small businessman and he was producing electric pianos which were exported all over the world and “introduces” him to the world of music.

At a very young age he began studying the accordion with Giovanni Marcosignori, father of the well-known Gervasio, “the poet of the accordion”.

After classical high school he attended the University of Medicine and Surgery in Bologna, graduating with top marks. In the meantime, the accordion company “Excelsior”, one of the most renowned in Castelfidardo and in the world, hired him as an endorser.

After specializing in general surgery he began his activity as a doctor-surgeon at the “Santa Casa” Hospital in Loreto where he practiced for
over twenty years. At the same time, also thanks to the “complicity” of the head doctor who grants him permission, he begun to travel the world…

And he is appreciated above all for the refined technique with which he plays the electronic accordion, created in Japan, at KAWAI, a leading company in the field of pianos, with the precious collaboration of the engineer Marco Galeazzi.

To promote it he was invited to play on television programs and in theaters, both in Italy and abroad.

Domenica in, Evening of Honour, TeleMike, Bel Paese, Italia mia … just to nominate a few, then the countless concerts … Among the most significant performances we remember the COLOMBIADI in Genoa, in the presence of ambassadors from all over the world; in Stockholm, in the room where the Nobel Prizes are awarded, in Moscow with Giovanni Allevi and Jimmy Fontana; in Cairo at the Opera House, in the United States with the great Wolmer Beltrami; in Japan, in Mexico, in Uruguay, in Brazil, in Australia, and in particular in Sydney, on the occasion of World Youth Day.

Despite commitments related to music, in the last two years of his professional activity, he held the role of primary surgeon, first in Loreto and subsequently in Osimo, without forgetting his activity as an author of books and as a municipal councilor in the municipality of Castelfidardo.

For a few years he has dedicated himself (and continues to do so) to composing film music.

Some of these original songs for accordion were recorded at the “Malleus” recording studio in Recanati and subsequently masterfully arranged on the guitar by Maestro Massimo Varini and were performed
with notable public success during the concert of the two soloists with the intervention of the “La Sinfonietta” chamber orchestra of Recanati, in the “Nicola Degli Angeli” theater of Montelupone.

From this artistic collaboration “Magia di un dream” was born and can be found on SPOTIFY and other platforms.