Francesca Dego

Constantly seeking fresh challenges, Francesca Dego spearheaded the rediscovery of Wolf-Ferrari’s glorious Violin Concerto and was the first violinist to record an album on Paganini’s recently restored violin, “Il Cannone.” She also warmly embraced historical performance practice on disc with Roger Norrington in Mozart’s complete works for violin and orchestra. Born in Lecco, Italy, in 1989, Dego’s exceptional talent was nurtured by Salvatore Accardo, who helped encourage her trademark fine-spun tonal purity, flawless intonation, and technical savvy. The winning combination of Dego’s Francesco Ruggeri violin and Dominique Peccatte bow can be savored on her 2012 debut album featuring all 24 of Paganini’s stratospherically demanding solo caprices. With her regular playing partner, pianist Francesca Leonardi, Dego’s tonal sophistication, phrasal suppleness, radiant cantabile, and exquisite dynamic inflections have proved as irresistible in Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas as on her 2018 disc Suite Italienne, featuring Respighi’s rarely heard but tonally ravishing Violin Sonata.