Giuseppe Vessicchio
Giuseppe Vessicchio, nicknamed Beppe or Peppe, was an Italian conductor, composer, arranger, musician and television personality.
Life and career
Born in Naples, the son of an Eternit employee, Vessicchio frequented the Naples Conservatory without graduating. While still a university student of architecture, Vessicchio performed for a few years with the comedy ensamble Trettré and started collaborating with some high-profile Neapolitan singers such as Peppino di Capri, Peppino Gagliardi, Fred Bongusto, Edoardo Bennato, Nino Buonocore. He had his professional breakout in the first half of the 1980s thanks to a long collaboration with Gino Paoli as an arranger, conductor and composer, penning among others Paoli's hits "Ti lascio una canzone", "Una lunga storia d'amore" and "Cosa farò da grande".Vessicchio was a popular figure of the Sanremo Music Festival, and took part in nearly every edition of the Festival since 1990, when he served as the conductor for Mia Martini and Mango. He won the critics' award for best arrangement three times in 1994, 1997, and 1998. His arrangements were also awarded a prize in the year 2000 by a special jury led by Luciano Pavarotti. His collaborations include Andrea Bocelli, Zucchero Fornaciari, Ornella Vanoni, Roberto Vecchioni, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Spagna, Max Gazzè, Ron, Mario Biondi, Le Vibrazioni, Fiordaliso, Elio e le Storie Tese, Biagio Antonacci, Rockin'1000, Syria, Piccola Orchestra Avion Travel. He was also a composer of classical music, and his chamber composition Tarantina was performed at La Scala in Milan.
Vessicchio died from complications of interstitial pneumonia at San Camillo Hospital in Rome, on 8 November 2025, at the age of 69.