Reminiscence of the Future, Sonatas for accordion is one of the few albums presenting original literature for a concert accordion. Among numerous emerging musical projects, it is certainly a unique one, showing the sound qualities of this instrument and extremely valuable works, until now undiscovered in the world of classical music. In each of them, it is the above-average dose of content that plays the supreme role. The programme content of each sonata is closely related to the fate of a given composer. What connects the composers present on this album is the experience of the hardships of creating in the authoritarian regime. Adam Maksymienko is one of the most prominent accordionists of the young generation, a laureate of numerous competitions, and an artist with considerable stage performance achievements even at such a young age.
Bach's Das Wohltemperierte Klavier has been called "The Old Testament" of the piano literature and presents, in more ways than one, a pinnacle to be climbed by pianists and harpsichordists alike. As a leading accordion player with an astonishingly wide-ranging repertoire, Mie Miki has now accepted the challenge, selecting twelve of the 48 pairs of preludes and fugues. For BIS Mie Miki has previously recorded Bach's Italian Concerto, and as she did then, she performs the music from the original keyboard score without making any alterations to facilitate the transition to the accordion. The result is ear-opening - the accordion's capacity for sustained notes brings out Bach's fugal counterpoint, while the fast and light action of the instrument lends a particular fleetness to the preludes.
This album is a unique collaboration between the young Danish composer Kasper Rofelt and accordionist Bjarke Mogensen, to whom all works on this premiere recording were dedicated. From the intimate Nightsongs to the colorful Light Falling, this CD offers both solo and chamber works with a variety of musical characters and idioms. "Bjarke Mogensen is an astonishment on record. Once heard, never forgotten" - the Arts Journal, New York 2011.
Virtuoso bandoneon, accordion, and accordina player Julien Labro is one of today’s most versatile musicians. Sought after by jazz and classical musicians alike, here he pairs with the progressive classical ensemble Spektral Quartet for a crossover project containing classical, jazz and latin elements. Founded in 2010, the Spektral Quartet’s forward-thinking reportorial choices and approach to performance has earned it a wide and loyal following.
Scarlatti: Sonatas (Arranged For Accordion) / Janne Rattya
Ondine
CD
$18.99Feb 25, 2014
D. SCARLATTI Harpsichord Sonatas • Janne Rättyä (acc) • ONDINE 1232-2 (57:10)
After a couple of generic paragraphs about the music, mixing the usual, uninformative clichés with some eyebrow-raising opinions (“Scarlatti introduces a veritable history of Spanish music into his style and enables sonic invention to blossom from the dry soil of the harpsichord....”), the liner notes finally deal briefly with the question that might interest anyone curious about this album: why an accordion? The answer does not satisfy: “The nuanced attention to sonic shape at every moment of the melody, figure or gesture ... the stunning range of color....”
The accordion is a keyboard-based wind instrument. Its range of color is based on stops. If you’re looking for nuance and color, the piano is far better at it, because dynamics can be applied individually to each note. Dynamics on an accordion apply to all notes across the board at any given time by varying the degree of air pumped through the bellows. It’s safer to say what the liner notes in all their vague effusiveness never point out, that Janne Rättyä is an excellent classical accordionist who has collaborated with a host of modern composers, and understandably wants to claim some Baroque territory for his instrument as well.
How does this work out in practice? Rättyä is careful to select music that plays to the strengths of his instrument. The F-Minor Sonata, K 386, features lively two-part counterpoint, and the accordionist is an agile technician. He also plays several slower works, such as the well-known Sonata in C Minor, K 11, where a guitar-like, single-note melody is played in the right hand. This allows him a degree of freedom with dynamics, and also reveals his sensitivity in phrasing. He shows himself of much of the same mind as harpsichordist Richard Lester, with his flexible, folk-inflected tempos, rather than more Italianate performances in Scarlatti’s keyboard music that emphasize consistent rhythms. Some of the moderate tempo pieces benefit from a similar treatment. The E-Major Sonata, K 135, sounds very playful here, without losing its forward pulse, and the pastoral-like G-Major Sonata, K 13, is picked out with grace.
I find matters less successful when Rättyä tries to push beyond these boundaries. The popular F Minor Sonata, K 519, and D-Minor Sonata, K 52, are muddy in their bass voicings, because the instrument’s rounder tone blends the notes of the chords rather than allowing them to stand out distinctly. But in general, the album hews to the plan laid out above: faster, two-part counterpoint pieces, and slower ones with a simple single-note melody in the right hand. This makes for a certain monotony, since there’s far more to Scarlatti than that, but a few selections at a time make for attractive listening. Up to you.
FANFARE: Barry Brenesal
The truth is that Rättyä does some amazing things from a purely mechanical point of view: some of the quicker sonatas, such as K.386 in F Minor, have seldom been played more accurately on any instrument, and the accordion’s near total absence of resonance makes it impossible for the player to hide. You just have to keep going. It’s like getting stuck on a roller coster. In slower, more emotionally affecting music the instrument frankly sounds silly. Strike that–it sounds silly everywhere, but give Rättyä credit for taking this project completely seriously and doing everything that he can with the limited resources that he’s stuck with. He even arranges the sonatas into quasi-scholarly groups by key, although he’s limited to C, F, E, G and D (major and minor). The sonics are terrific."
Kruger's music can manifest itself as compositions with an enormous variety of structures and instrumental combinations, as multisensory mixtures of sound, image, and movement, or as pure electronics, or... - an aesthetic range reflected, at least partially, in the program of this album. But in spite of this heterogeneity that defies conventional categorization, there are certain significant constants in Kruger's works. One of these is the physicality of their linguistic forms and a correspondingly close connection to the interpretive powers of their performers. He investigates and redefines sounds, exploring physiognomies and contexts that were not yet in his repertoire. The early organ piece "conTemp[s]lations" might seem to be out of place, but it's expansive microtonality and unconventional coloration foreshadow Kruger's later electronic works such as "rosebud". Everything in this contemplative sound continuum is geared toward flowing transformations of sound qualities and the relationships of timbral mixtures. The instrumental monologues and dialogues of "fuckin' A!", "renk", and "nun schauervoll einmalig blickt es mich an" are characterized by a high degree of density and kinetic energy. "rosebud", for dancer, motion sensors, and live electronics was created at the renowned IRCAM center in Paris in collaboration with dancer Victor Virnot, whose choreography is closely linked to the live electronic processes. During the development of the piece, each of the two levels was influenced, and even determined, by the other, until "rosebud" finally achieved it's final, definitive form. The dancer embodies, so to speak, an "extended" musician - a hybrid of man and machine.
In June 2026 Divine Art is delighted to present Francis Poulenc: Music for Two Pianos performed by pianists Antony Gray and Rob Hao. Among the highlights of this superb new release are the first commercial audio recording of Antony Gray's own transcription for two pianos of Poulenc's score from the film Voyage en Amerique, the first recording of Poulenc's two piano reduction of the Concert Champetre, plus the recently discovered Valse de musique de soie. A superb pianist as well as a composer, Poulenc's works for piano are without exception charming, delightful and gratifyingly written. However, most of his piano music comes from the early part of his career, as Poulenc destroyed many of his later works, including a number for four hands/two pianos. The two-piano works on this album represent those later periods when he was at the height of his powers. The first comes from his delightful score, which was sadly lost, for the 1951 film about a couple from rural France on their first ever flight, Voyage en Amerique. Antony Gray tracked down a copy of the soundtrack, which was scored for two pianos, and transcribed it himself, realising this was the only way of recovering the score, and presents it here with Rob Hao in it's first commercial standalone recording. To complete the transcription of the soundtrack, Gray also includes the song, Adieu Maison, with soprano Helen Miles, and a Valse, in which the two pianos are joined by an accordion, performed by Alise Silina. Gray and Hao also present a later version of this work entitled Embarquement pour Cythere, scored only for two pianos. The Sonata for two pianos, arguably Poulenc's finest keyboard work, is emotionally dark and looks forward to the tenderness and anguish of the Dialogues des Carmelites. Very few works in the piano duo repertoire match this sonata in power and emotional force -aggressive dissonance is contrasted with passages of achingly beautiful material. One of his final keyboard works is the deeply emotional Elegie in which as with all Poulenc's music for two pianos, the material throughout is passed equally between the two instruments. The Concert Champetre, originally written as a concerto for harpsichord and orchestra, was reworked for two pianos, and despite missing the rich orchestral palette it's a strong work in it's own right, and is given it's first recording here. Poulenc's other works for two pianos will be made available as bonus digital-only tracks accompanying the album. The first will feature Sonate pour piano a 4 mains, written in 1918 when Poulenc was only 19 years old. It was influenced by Satie and Stravinsky, as well as Chabrier, yet is already stylistically unique and a real achievement for such a young composer. The Capriccio for two pianos is a transcription by Poulenc of the Finale of his cantata Le Bal Masque, with hilarious and surreal music, befitting the cantata text by Max Jacob. The album will be completed by the Valse de musique de soie for solo piano, performed by Antony Gray, a work only recently rediscovered in 2017. Antony Gray and Rob Hao, both pianists and composers, are from Australia. Antony Gray has long been regarded as one of the most interesting and communicative performers of his generation with many solo and chamber music performances around the world and many pieces written for and premiered by him. His recordings for Divine Art have included music by Malcolm Williamson, John Carmichael, and an acclaimed set of Saint-Saëns piano music. Rob Hao's compositions and performances have taken him across Australia, the UK and continental Europe, and he has given regional and world premieres of over thirty works in both ensemble and solo settings. His debut solo recording 'Palimpsest' for Divine Art explores how music and styles from different times interact and inspire new ideas.
ELEMENTUAK marks the debut album of Expressio Duo, the Basque accordion partnership of Maria Zubimendi and Garazi Navas. Conceived as a journey across three centuries of music, the programme explores the art of transcription as a creative dialogue between past and present, revealing the extraordinary expressive range of the modern accordion. From the refined elegance of the French Baroque to the evocative sound world of early 20th-century Basque nationalism, ELEMENTUAK highlights the instrument's versatility in repertoire originally conceived for orchestra and keyboard. Works by Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau unfold with clarity, colour and rhythmic vitality, while Jean-Fery Rebel's visionary Le Cahos from Les elemens acquires striking modern intensity through the duo's rich harmonic textures and dynamic control. The programme concludes with music rooted in Basque identity. Aita Donostia's Acuarelas Vascas evoke landscapes and traditional dances with impressionistic delicacy, and excerpts from Jesus Guridi's El Caserio and Amaya celebrate folkloric energy transformed into symphonic brilliance. Recorded at the Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada, this release affirms Expressio Duo's artistic depth and positions the accordion as a powerful mediator between tradition and reinvention in today's classical landscape.
Viviane Chassot has previously released three solo albums, and now releases her first duo production alongside Martin Mallaun. This unique album contains rare chamber music in new arrangements for the special combination of accordion and zither. Not only are these arrangements original, but this program is varied and exciting, containing Renaissance pieces from John Dowland to the modern avant-garde work of John Cage.
Rutter: Psalmfest / Lucas, Choirs of St. Albans, Royal Philharmonic
Naxos
CD
$9.99$19.99Save 50%May 13, 2016
The psalms of David have been a source of inspiration to composers for centuries, each text forming a poetic shape the equivalent of a gothic arch, and expressing a broad range of timeless emotions. Recorded here for the first time in its complete form, John Rutter’s Psalmfest is a collection of nine settings for full orchestra as rich and varied as the original texts. The remaining psalm settings were written for special occasions, including the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.
The violinist Julia Fischer pays tribute to her musical godchild Matthias Well, the 2017 winner of the Fanny Mendelssohn Sponsorship Prize, in the preface to his GENUIN debut album: She writes about his cheerfulness, his artistic seriousness, and his inquiring mind – all characteristics that breathe in Wells' album "Funeralissimo" from the very first moment to the very end. And it is a release that tells the story of the cessation of breath, bringing together funeral music from all epochs and continents. Music that is always at the edge of the unspeakable, unplayable, incomprehensible – and therefore comes across as being so alive. An album that goes beyond all norms in every respect - absolutely worth listening to! German violinist Julia Fischer is recognized worldwide for possessing a talent of uncommon ability. Her “pure and fine-spun tone, blessed with seemingly infinite shadings” (The Chicago Tribune) combined with rare “technical brilliance” (The Guardian) make her one of the most-sought after soloist before the public today.
The word “fusion” as a musical genre identifier, is a loaded term. At worst, it conjures images of endlessly self-indulgent electric guitar solos, overactive drummers buried deep behind epic drum kits, and seven string electric basses strapped up way too high. At best, it has given us timeless albums that were more sui generis than the mere mashup of distinct styles that it implies. With their album Infusion, Jason Vieaux and Julien Labro suggest a subtle alternative path to stylistic integration; the effectively present several diverse performance approaches all under a concert music umbrella. Taking a staple of modern guitar chamber repertoire like Radames Gnattali’s Suite Retratos and infusing it with aspects of different improvising traditions leaves Gnattali’s structural context in place. In their arrangement of the Tears for Fears classic, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” Vieaux diligently reproduces various components of the multi-track original while infusing it with a soloing approach drawn from jazz. In Labro’s arrangement of Piazzolla’s “Escualo,” the two infuse the song with contemporary references that blend with the original material. Also featured is Leo Brouwer’s Tres Danzas Concertantes, which has been adapted by Julien Labro for this recording. Brouwer has drawn from Afro Cuban sources throughout his career, infusing his concert music with the vibrant rhythms and characteristic harmonic flavors of his native culture.
Piazzolla: Music for Accordion / Martynas Levickis
Accentus Music
CD
$27.99Jul 09, 2021
The accordion is an instrument that is deeply rooted in Lithuanian folk music. Today, the accordion is also recognized as a versatile instrument of classical music, a change in perception that has largely been promoted by Martynas Levickis, one of the most internationally sought-after musicians in his field. With its lightness and melancholy, Astor Piazzolla’s music has fascinated the young accordionist from an early age, and so it goes without saying that he is dedicating himself to this exceptional composer in his anniversary year. Together with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra he recorded "Aconcagua" live in concert. For conductor Modestas Pitrenas, Piazzolla's concerto - named posthumously after the highest mountain in the Americas - "conveys the climb to the roof of the earth in all its facets and symbolism: freedom, longing, loneliness, pain, transfiguration, peace." Levickis has a long and close collaboration with the chamber orchestra "Mikroórkestra". Together they present their interpretation of "Las Cuatro Estaciones Portenas," Piazzolla's timeless masterpieces of many styles that capture in music the four seasons in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires.
REVIEW:
This CD combines two worlds, that of the accordion rooted in Lithuanian folk music and that of the Argentine Astor Piazzolla. And the fusion of cultures has succeeded, as evidenced by the interpretations with the most prominent Lithuanian accordionist, Martynas Levickis.
The accordionist plays Aconcagua with a spontaneous, pulsating rhythmic sensibility that sometimes sounds improvisatory and provides a lot of tension in the vital outer movements. The slow movement is given real depth and a very personal statement of the communication between Piazzolla and the soloist.
Las Cuatro Estaciones Portenas translates well to a chamber orchestra. On the one hand, Levickis plays rhythmically concise, but on the other hand, the sensual is not neglected. A very great interpretation!
Dirk Altmann is a master of French clarinet. The release of this music seems to point to the artist’s love for the French capital, as each track in this recital-like compilation has a connection to Paris. In his artistic manner, Altmann expresses his love for the city of love. He has even arranged some of these works himself for this combination of instruments. He is joined by a virtuosic ensemble of colleagues, which include pianist Mako Okamoto, violinist Gesa Jenne, bassist Ryutoaro hei, and accordionist Anne-Maria Holscher.
The violin-accordion Duo ViA! (Sinn Yang and Harald Oeler) made their debut in 2009 with the program Seasons at the Heidelberg Spring Festival. + At that time, it required a great deal of courage to present to the public, in a sold-out hall, one of the most popular and most frequently played classical works, Vivaldi’s I quattro stagioni in combination with Astor Piazzolla’s Las cuatro portenas. + For the Duo, the program Seasons was and still is both an experiment and a daring feat.
Milica Djordjevic’s compositions are musical explorations, meticulous observations and dissections. Seven such investigations of sound are presented by the Serbian composer on her portrait album in the series EDITION ZEITGENÖSSISCHE MUSIK. Primarily, Djordjevic focuses on an extreme and exhaustive exploration of the musical material. In the booklet Barbara Eckle points out Djordjevic’s specific approach: "She develops a material component further and further in an increasingly large, loud and dense wave, distorting it, perverting it, multiplying it, squeezing out of it everything it has to give – until it implodes. The rupture is sudden and abrupt, as if the plug of an electronic appliance were ripped from a wall socket." Also essential for Djordjevic’s work is an interdisciplinary perspective, which is based on a diversified aesthetic socialisation, influencing her music in different ways. Each compositional process finally creates musical figures, which, at the same time, affect psyche and ratio. All pieces have been especially recorded at Deutschlandfunk in Cologne by internationally well-known interpreters such as Arditti Quartet, Ensemble Musikfabrik and Teodoro Anzellotti.
Zolotaryov, Repnikov, Nagayev: 20th Century Russian Accordion Sonatas / Baran
DUX
CD
$21.99Aug 06, 2021
Vladislav Zolotaryov, Alexandr Nagayev and Albin Repnikov – these are household names for fans of 20th-century Russian music for the accordion. The sonatas featured on this release share an aura of tragedy and a reflection on life in the shadow of death. The sonatas are replete with musical associations directly referring to death, as evidenced by Zolotaryov’s use in his Third Sonata of a quotation from the medieval requiem mass sequence Dies iræ, dies illa. Another example is Repnikov’s use, in the third movement of his composition, of motivic writing from the song Позабыт, позаброшен (Forgotten, abandoned), which tells of a child conscious of his imminent death. Nagayev’s Sonata, Op. 13 was penned a year after Zolotaryov’s tragic demise and is a musical tribute to a friend and fellow composer.
Camarero: A Liquid Theater / Rodriguez, Zahir Ensemble
IBS Classical
CD
$17.99Nov 12, 2021
“Somewhere I read that Luis Buñuel, at the premiere of his film L’ GE D’OR went up to the stage and said: “this is my film L’ GE D’OR, if you think it’s strange, life is much more strange”. "Music for a Liquid Theater" (2018) As in many other works of mine, musical space is developed as an important aspect of composition; when performed in a concert hall, some instruments have a special disposition, violin is in the left corner and violoncello in the right corner of the stage, while flute and clarinet play from the other corners behind the audience. Abreviaturas (1999), is a very special work for me, with no dynamics –the whole work in pianissimo-, no effects, almost no timbre, only duration and pitch (rhythms and notes). "Música para contemplar la evolución de una ola a cámara lenta" (2012), as strange as it may seem, the title -Music for contemplating the evolution of a wave in slow motion- came to me as I was watching a documentary on tv; there was a fantastic image of a wave from the inside moving in slow motion, like a living sculpture made of soft glass. "La Memoria del Agua" (1995), On the days I was working on both pieces, I remember the deep impression that I received from the Ives Klein retrospective at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid.” (César Camarero)
For his excellent new album, master accordionist Alexander Sevastian proposes a program of several masterpieces by Johann Sebastian Bach transcribed for the accordion. The “Chaconne” and major organ works such as the Prelude and Fugue in A minor, the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, and the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor – have a certain dramatic character. Balanced by the lighter “Badinerie” from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor and the more meditative “Air on the G String” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major and the chorale prelude “Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ,” this program simultaneously showcases Sevastian’s virtuosity and sensitivity. Alexander Sevastian has a Master’s Degree in Performance from the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow, and an Advanced Certificate in Music from the University of Toronto. He commissions and performs contemporary music on a regular basis, and has for the past two years been performing alongside world-renowned clarinetist Julian Milkis.
The pieces composed by Matteo Rigotti and presented on this album are intended for different instruments and offer the opportunity to explore and learn about the varied compositional world of the author. The instrumental variety is rich and always different. Only in Q and Q2, the instrument is the same: the clarinet. However, in this specific case, the two pieces seem to be two moments of the same thought. The second one appears indeed as an extension of the first one, almost a "reaction" to it, creating a narration that transversely joins two tracks, distinct in the album, in a "before" and a "later". In all the other pieces the situation appears limited to the piece itself which becomes a different place each time, a time and a space in which numerous gestures happen. This means that, within each of these "microworlds", sound research and experimentation paths start by taking advantage of both the possibilities that the instrument offers and, in ensemble pieces, the possible result from the interactions between the instruments.
Shaped equally by her roots in China as well as European influences, Ying Wang, with her struggle for an individual musical language, embodies in an exemplary way the challenges of finding a point of balance between two cultures. Ying Wang mediates between the two cultures. She has achieved quite personal solutions in her works, integrating dramatic impulses and meditative sensual sonorities. She regards as especially fruitful the transferring of techniques for the creation of electronic sounds to acoustical instruments. Restriction and freedom are important criteria in "Wave in D", where Wang, out of extremely limited tonal material, draws a rich assemblage of differentiated sound colors from the possibilities of the traditional instrument and the electronics. In "Tun Tu" baritone saxophone and electronic sounds interact and come together in an imaginary sound landscape. The distorted sounds of the instrument, embedded in a cosmos of mysterious electronic colorations, seem at first almost improvisatory, but "Tun Tu" is rigorously organized. In "Coffee & Tea" Ying Wang reflects on contrasts between the cultures of Asia and Europe and uses coffee and tea as metaphors.
East West explores musical landscapes from the European and American parts of the globe, resulting in a kind of travel journal that begins in Eastern Europe and then travels westward Duo Aliada is known for their creative approach to adapting classical repertoire for their own instruments. Polish saxophonist Michal Knot and Serbian accordionist Bogdan Laketic formed the duo in 2013 in Vienna, a city whose rich musical tradition reflects its history as a crossroads between Eastern and Western Europe. The following years brought Michal and Bogdan to performances around the world, and into contact with various cultures and musical traditions. This wide range of experiences, beginning all the way back with their childhoods in Eastern Europe, is a major source of inspiration for their music making and for this album.
The Goldberg Variations, or – to use the original title – ‘Aria with diverse variations’ counts as a milestone in Western music history. With good reason: the huge work and its highly systematic structure demonstrate with utmost clarity Bach’s immense skill as a composer. Books and treatises have been written to analyse how it is constructed, amazing both musicologists and mathematicians. But as the Danish accordionist Andreas Borregaard writes in his own liner notes to this disc: ‘the Goldberg Variations are so much more than a gigantic, sounding sudoku. Each variation is an expressive universe unto itself, and the music passes through almost every corner of the human spectrum of emotions.’ Originally written for the harpsichord, the work has become part of the piano repertoire, but the emotional range that Borregaard emphasizes is perhaps brought out even more clearly when it is performed, as here, on the accordion. The inherent nostalgia of the Aria is more poignant than ever, the gigue in Variation 7 has the swagger of sailors on shore leave, and the introspection of Variation 15 is almost hypnotic.
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REVIEW:
Andreas Borregaard’s arrangement of Bach’s Goldberg Variations for piano accordion freely proclaims that instrument’s kinship with the organ. It also has two manuals, facilitating the playing of passages which were written for two harpsichord manuals; in addition, as Borregaard notes, the accordion’s bellows allow the sound to be shaped ‘in a way that is impossible to achieve on the organ, piano or harpsichord’. This is terrific playing, by turns dancelike, lyrical and infused with a good-humoured reverence for such a distillation of Bach’s art as the Goldbergs.
Internationally-renowned Serbian-Austrian classical accordionist Jovica Ivanovic has released his newest album — PIAZZOLLA & GALLIANO — with Navona Records. The program features concertos from Astor Piazzolla and Richard Galliano, both legends in their own rights. Recorded with the Ukrainian Chamber Orchestra, Ivanovic’s performances bring these masterworks to life with persuasive passion. PIAZZOLLA & GALLIANO is the result of Ivanovic's partnership with violinist Valeriy Sokolov. With Ivanovic's capable hands on the accordion, Sokolov as concertmaster and Protasov as conductor of the chamber orchestra, the three set out to recreate the music of these two much revered composers. The album opens with Piazzolla's Aconcagua, a concerto for bandoneon, string orchestra, and percussion. The music bursts forth from the outset, full of the tantalizing excitement of Argentinian tango. Ivanovic’s sensitive-yet-fiery style immediately sets him apart; the soloist glides effortlessly above the orchestra, lending a rich voice to the melody. It is not lost on Ivanovic that Piazzolla himself especially loved this piece, playing the bandoneon himself at performances in the 1980s. Ivanovic treats Aconcagua with the same loving care as its composer did. And, now, thanks to state-of-the-art recording technology, we hear each note with sublime clarity. Galliano’s Opale Concerto is a mix of Balkan, nostalgic Parisian, and American influences. From the outset, Opale is a pulse-quickening adventure; Ivanovic reveals the depths of his classical training by making every fiery note sound rounded and deliberate. As with Aconcagua, Ivanovic’s performance of this piece makes clear that it is particularly dear to his own heart. The music of PIAZZOLLA & GALLIANO is perennially contemporary and exciting. Bridging cultures and generations, it speaks deeply to the human heart. Ivanovic’s virtuosic performances are supple and thoughtful.
Penderecki: Concertos, Vol. 8 / Tworek, Jerzy Semkov Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra
DUX
CD
$21.99May 01, 2020
The Double Concerto for Viola and Cello was written in 2012 to mark the bicentenary of the Musikverein in Vienna. It is a work with a clearly defined, neo-romantic architecture. Even though the composer employs profuse semi-tones as a form-shaping element, the music also abounds in consonances that soften the many tensions therein. The narration’s starting point is determined by the opening cantabile for the two solo instruments, which is of a romantic character. As the music proceeds, the two architectural planes start to be mutually interwoven, with a free dialogue between them lasting until the end of the piece. It is worth drawing the listener’s attention to the highly inventive solo cadenzas that are introduced by the composer in order to differentiate the mood of the work’s various sections. The version for accordion and orchestra which is featured in the present recording casts a fresh light on the composition. All the contrasts that are responsible for the structural fragmentation unexpectedly gain even sharper contours. Moreover, all the solo interludes, in view of the distinctly different character of the accordion, make the polemics between the neo-romantic and playful aesthetics even more exciting. Concerto per flauto ed orchestra da camera was written in 1992. Commissioned by L’Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, it was dedicated to flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal. The work falls into two extensive movements: Andante and Allegro con brio. Lyrical fragments of a somewhat impressionistic provenance predominate in the first movement. In contrast to the Double Concerto for Viola and Cello, this work is notable for its highly autonomous solo part, which on the one hand constitutes an intriguing counterpoint with the orchestral interludes, while on the other being very much to the forefront. Brief but strongly chromaticised melodic motifs are an important element that shapes the architecture of the first movement.
Transkrypton: Piano and Accordion / Duo Wolanska/Gajda
DUX
CD
$21.99Sep 17, 2021
On the present release Duo Wolanska/Gajda presents transcriptions for Piano and Accordion. DUO WOLAŃSKA/GAJDA is an unusual chamber music ensemble. The combination of piano and accordion opens unlimited performance possibilities. Two solo, independent instruments collide with each other on a sonoristic level, thus creating a new quality of instrumental dialogue. Established in 2014, the ensemble is formed by pianist Julia Wolańska-Gajda and accordionist Michał Gajda. On a regular basis, the artists give concerts in Poland and abroad (New York, Virginia, Arkansas, Japan, Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Austria, Germany, or the Netherlands). They have already performed in the most prestigious concert halls in the world: New York’s Carnegie Hall, Berliner Philharmonie, Mozarteum Saal in Salzburg, Musikverein in Vienna, Kioi Hall in Tokyo, or Guri Art Hall in Seoul. Duo Wolańska/Gajda has won a number of coveted awards and accolades. They are prizewinners of, among others, the Gold Medal in the 4th Manhattan International Music Competition (2019), 1st prize in the 1st Vienna International Music Competition (2019), 1st prize in the Salzburg Grand Prize Virtuoso Inter-national Music Competition (2018), 1st prize in the 54th Internationaler Akkordeonwettbewerb Klingenthal (2017), ‘Top Winner’ 1st prize in the 25th Ibla Grand Prize World Music Competition in Ragusa (2016), or 1st prize in the Val Tidone International Music Competitions (2015).
O Jerusalem!: City of Three Faiths / Sorrell, Apollo's Fire
Avie Records
CD
$19.99Feb 11, 2022
The crossroads of Christianity, Judaism and Islam create the backdrop to O! Jerusalem, a scintillating live recording by Apollo’s Fire that interweaves the lives and music of the peoples who have inhabited the “City on a Hill” since Biblical times. Conceived and directed by Jeanette Sorrell, Grammy Award-winning founder of Apollo’s Fire, O! Jerusalem conjures a tour of the Old City’s four quarters – Christian, Jewish, Arab and Armenian – and the confluence of the communities’ sacred and secular music from 1200 – 1650. This colorful and vibrant program – featuring musicians of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian backgrounds – premiered to packed audiences in New York City, Chicago, and the ensemble’s home base of Cleveland where this recording was captured live. O! Jerusalem follows in the footsteps of Sephardic Journey (AV2361), one of ten Apollo’s Fire releases to debut in Billboard’s Classical Chart Top 10.
REVIEW:
The program is organized as a walk through the four neighborhoods of Jerusalem's Old Quarter, namely Jewish, Arab, Christian, and Armenian, concluding with a festival secular dance set in which the traditions mingle. Much of the program was recorded live in 2020, just before the pandemic shut things down; these tracks are augmented by others recorded earlier. Most or all of the music seems to have been performed by members of Apollo's Fire itself. Beyond the rather plaintive hopes for peace that it expresses, the program is both instructive and engaging.
Dan Andersson died at the age of 32 in 1920, more than 100 years ago. His poetry is still relevant and beloved. Many can still recite his poems and sing many of the compositions. He is one of Sweden's most important poets, a romantic working-class poet who gave voice to the poor in the country, depicted areas and conditions in Sweden that had hardly been illuminated before. One of the great strengths of his poetry is that it is universal, human and beautiful. Nature, love and the conditions of life play the biggest role.
