Wolmer Beltrami

Wolmer Beltrami, one of the greatest accordionists of this century, died on October 28th, 1999. He was born in 1922 in the little town of Breda Cisoni, in the province of Mantua, and began studying the accordion with his father, immediately showing his great potential. At fifteen he signed his first contract as a professional solo accordionist with the "Columbia" recording label, and soon after he started holding concerts abroad, especially in Germany and Switzerland. In 1947 he founded the "Wolmer-Kramer" duo which successfully toured Italy and England and gained a wide acclaim through TV, theatre and radio appearances as well as several recordings. With the advent of television Beltrami was asked to host several musical shows, both with various orchestral group and with the trio which included his sisters Leda (accordion) and Luisa (double bass), who were both singers as well. In 1960 he received a very important award, namely the world accordion Oscar, and in the remainder of his career he concentrated mostly on film soundtracks. Wolmer Beltrami’s style was unique and unmistakable, as is testimonied by his wide range of recordings, from jazz to classical music through to virtuoso pieces.