After graduating from the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan in organ and harpsichord, he began his concert career at a very young age, soon attracting the attention of critics as one of the most experienced and gifted harpsichordists of his generation.
In 1985, he won the basso continuo prize at the International Competition in Paris and in 1986 he was a prizewinner at the International Competition in Bruges. He was the first Italian to receive such international recognition in the harpsichord field.
A thorough connoisseur of the performance practice of the Baroque period, since 1996 he has been the Music Director of the Accademia Bizantina in Ravenna, with which he has collaborated since 1989.
Under his conductorship, within a few years Accademia Bizantina established its reputation as one of the best-known and most accredited Baroque music ensembles with period instruments on the international scene.
After graduating from the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan in organ and harpsichord, he began his concert career at a very young age, soon attracting the attention of critics as one of the most experienced and gifted harpsichordists of his generation.
In 1985, he won the basso continuo prize at the International Competition in Paris and in 1986 he was a prizewinner at the International Competition in Bruges. He was the first Italian to receive such international recognition in the harpsichord field.
A thorough connoisseur of the performance practice of the Baroque period, since 1996 he has been the Music Director of the Accademia Bizantina in Ravenna, with which he has collaborated since 1989.
Under his conductorship, within a few years Accademia Bizantina established its reputation as one of the best-known and most accredited Baroque music ensembles with period instruments on the international scene.
Over the last twenty years, Ottavio Dantone has gradually expanded his activities as soloist and leader of chamber groups to include conducting, extending his repertoire to the classical and romantic period.
His debut in opera conducting dates back to 1999 with the first performance in modern times of Giuseppe Sarti’s ‘Giulio Sabino’ at the Alighieri Theatre in Ravenna with Accademia Bizantina.
His career has since led him to pair the more well-known repertoire with the rediscovery of lesser-performed or first modern performance titles at the world’s most important festivals and theatres, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Teatro Réal in Madrid, Opéra Royale Versailles, Opera Zurich and London Proms.
He has recorded, both as soloist and as conductor, for the most important record labels: Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Naïve and Harmonia Mundi, receiving prestigious prizes and awards from international critics.
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