Viviane Chassot

Viviane Chassot has been one of the few players of her instrument to successfully build a career in the classical concert sphere. Chassot settled on the accordion when she was 12, obsessed with the idea of playing Bach on it. By 2004 she had won major prizes. In 2006 she experienced a crisis of confidence and set her instrument aside for a year. Two years later, she released her debut album, a set of Haydn piano sonatas. Chassot has been an energetic champion of contemporary music. She has performed and recorded with chamber groups and with dancers. Her debut on Sony was an album of Haydn keyboard concertos with the Basel Chamber Orchestra, which she conducted from the keyboard. ~ James Manheim