The Accordion World in Mourning for Wolmer Beltrami - Italy
 
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, he has left a legacy by means of a tremendous range of recordings, from jazz to classical music through to virtuoso pieces.

For more information on Wolmer, see his web site.

Il mondo della fisarmonica in lutto per Wolmer Beltrami/Italy
 
Il 28 Ottobre, 1999 è scomparso uno dei più grandi fisarmonicisti del nostro secolo: Wolmer Beltrami. Nato a Breda Cisoni (MN) nel 1922 inizia con il padre lo studio della fisarmonica, dimostrando fin da ragazzino eccellenti qualità.
 
A 15 anni sottoscrive il primo contratto come solista di fisarmonica con la casa discografica "Columbia" e ben presto tiene concerti all'estero, sopratutto in Germania e in Svizzera. Nel 1947 si costituisce il duo "Wolmer-Kramer" che compie importanti tournée in Italia e in Inghilterra, riscuotendo successi televisivi, teatrali, radiofonici e discografici.
 
Con l'avvento della televisione vengoni affidati a Wolmer Beltrami vari programmi musicali, che egli presenta sia con varie formazioni orchestrali che con il famoso "Trio" costituito insieme alle sorelle Leda (fisarmonica) e Luisa (contrabbasso) entrambe cantanti.
 
Nel 1960 riceve un importante riconoscimento: l'Oscar mondiale della fisarmonica. In seguito di dedica prevalentemente allo colonne sonore per film. Lo stile di Wolmer Beltrami è personalissimo e inconfondible. Lo confermano le sue magistrali interpretazioni che spaziano dal jazz al classico ai pezzi di virtuosismo.