Aniello Desiderio
Born in Naples in 1971, Aniello Desiderio started playing guitar when he was very young. He studied with B. B. D’Amario and Stefano Aruta; he also attended musical interpretation classes with Leo Brouwer, who chose Mr. Desiderio for special group lessons. In 1992 he graduated with honours from the Conservatory of Music in Alessandria.
At the age of eight, he performed in public for the first time, displaying such outstanding gifts that music critics started to speak of him as an “enfant prodige”… Wunderkind… a genius, the Orpheus of the Guitar, a guitarist of the Century, il Fenomeno, etc.
He won 18 first International Awards in both national and international competitions, including:
- First Prize at the Donia Competition Messina, Italy (1986)
- First Prize and Special Prize for the best interpretation of South American music at the International Guitar Competition in Habana, Cuba (1988)
- “Neapolitan of the Year” Award for Mr. Desiderio, Italy (1988)
- First Prize and Special Prize for best interpretation of Tarrega’s music at the International Francisco Tarrega Competition Benicasim, Spain (1992)
- First Prize at the International Competition “Citta’ di Sanremo” Italy (1994)
- First Prize at the International “Guerrero” Competition Madrid, Spain (1995)
- Artist in Residence Award by the German Radio & Musikfest Bremen, Germany (1999)
His international career started in 1989 during the International Guitar Festival in Volos (Greece). This was the starting point for his career as an international artist, performing all over the world in countries such as Switzerland, France, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Spain, Greece, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, Japan, Canada and the United States, both as soloist and with orchestras like the Virtuosi di Mosca with Vladimir Spivakov, RSO Berliner, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Alessandro Scarlatti.
He played for many important associations and festivals and in some of the most prestigious theatres around the world, such as “Radio France” in Italy, “Ravello Festival”, “A. Scarlatti”, “Megaride”, “I Pomeriggi Musicali” in Germany, “Berlin Philharmonie”, “Rheingau Musik Festival”, “Bayerische Rundfunk TV”, Musikfest Bremen, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Omni Concert Series, San Francisco, Alte Oper Köln, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Philharmonie and Prinzregententheater Munich, Die Glocke Bremen, etc.
In November 1996 he made his New York debut at the Manhattan School of Music (concert/masterclass). In May 1999 the German Television BR/ARD produced a 45-minute music film and a 45-minute portrait of Aniello Desiderio in Naples. It was broadcast more than 10 times Europe-wide between 2000–2003.
In September 1999 he received the “Artist in Residence Award 1999” from the German Radio DLF and the Musikfest Bremen together with Gidon Kremer, who received the “Großer Musikfest Preis”.
In 2001/02 Aniello Desiderio was on tour with the Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin and the Deutsche Kammer-Philharmonie, and was invited to the 70th birthday Gala of Maestro Lorin Maazel by the Bavarian Radio & TV station. He also toured extensively throughout Mexico, Indonesia, and Europe.
In 2003 he co-founded the World Guitar Ensemble, where he played together with some of the best guitar players around the world, followed by its first European tour and many radio and TV recordings. He also toured in Europe (Paris, Vienna, Barcelona), the US (San Diego, New York, Nashville) and in Brazil (Rio, São Paulo), giving both solo recitals and performing with orchestras.
In 2004 he toured the US again – in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York – and, together with his brothers Gennaro and Gaetano Desiderio and other famous Neapolitan musicians, founded the group Passione Napoletana, performing the highly emotional music of his home town Naples – “Serenate, Tanghi, Danze, Canzoni e Tarantelle Napoletane”. He was one of the performing artists of a prestigious German TV show on ZDF, broadcast Europe-wide.
In 2005, aside from his solo performances in Germany, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Indonesia, etc., he toured with the World Guitar Ensemble throughout Europe, including Istanbul, Athens, Montpellier, and at German summer festivals like Ludwigsburg, Rheingau, Mosel, Bremen, Würzburg, etc., and throughout the USA. He also performed with the Bavarian Chamber Orchestra & Romulo Larrea (bandoneon) in “Tango con Passion” in Germany and with the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra in Turkey.
In 2007, alongside his solo touring, Aniello Desiderio, his brothers Gennaro (violin) and Nino (piano) Desiderio, Romulo Larrea (bandoneon) from Montevideo and singer Veronica Larc from Buenos Aires set the audience alight with their new tango project “Tango y Milongas”.
He records for Frame, Waku Music, Koch-Universal, and since 2006 for his own company Adoro Records.
In 2005 he became a guitar teacher at the International Music Academy of Koblenz (Germany).
In 2009 he became a teacher at Conservatorio “Domenico Cimarosa” of Avellino (Italy) where he started a postgraduate course.
In fall 2009 he created his project “Aniello Desiderio’s Quartetto Furioso” with Gennaro Desiderio (violin), Gaetano Desiderio (piano) and Salvatore Minale (drums and percussion), performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons, and recorded the CD for the German label Termidor.
In 2010 Aniello performed the “Concerto Madrigal” of J. Rodrigo with classical guitar legend Angel Romero.
Since 2010 he has given masterclasses during the Summer International Academy for Mozarteum (Salzburg). John McLaughlin chose Aniello for the European premiere of his concerto “Thieves and Poets” in May 2012 during Koblenz International Guitar Festival.
Since 2010 he has played in duo with Lucio Matarazzo.
- “Nothing is impossible for Aniello with his instrument” – Classical Guitar, England
- “He is very young, but he plays like an angel” – Les Cahiers de la Guitare, France
- “Aniello grande triunfadore” – Gramma Cuba, Cuba
- “The most brilliant talent of the decade” – Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany
