Classical Accordion
Arne NORDHEIM (1931–2010)
Flashing (1985) [7:21]
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
*Overture in the French Style, BWV 831 [7:04]
Luciano BERIO (1925-2003)
Sequenza XIII 'Chanson' (1995) [9:15]
Domenico SCARLATTI (1685-1757)
*Sonata in D minor, K.77 [5:09]
*Sonata in D, K.33 [3:12]
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
*12 Variations on 'Ah, Vous Dirai-je, Maman' [8:45]
Alfred SCHNITTKE (1934-1998)
*Revis Fairy Tale [10:19]
Yuji TAKAHASHI (b.1938)
Like a Water Buffalo (1985) [10:32]
Ástor PIAZZOLLA (1921–1992)
+Asleep [from: Five Tango Sensations (1989)] [6:51]
* arrangements
Ksenija Sidorova (accordion)
+Sacconi Quartet
rec. Music Room, Champs Hill, Sussex, 13-15 April, 2010; 7 June 2010 [Piazzolla];
22 January 2011 [Takahashi, 1st movement]. DDD
CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD 019 [68:30]
This is young Latvian accordionist Ksenija Sidorova's debut CD. The liner
notes say, quite rightly, that the accordion is "an under-exploited resource
in Western classical music". Sidorova's great enthusiasm for her instrument,
which she wants to move away from its folk-music associations, comes across
very strongly not only in her media interviews but more importantly in her
performances in this recital.
The five pieces that have been transcribed for accordion may on the face of
it be little more than 'lollipops', but they do show how splendidly a skilled
accordionist like Sidorova is able to take almost any material and make it
sound as if it was originally composed for this incredibly applicative and
versatile instrument. Someone hearing, for example, Bach's Overture in
the French Style BWV 831 for the first time played on the intended harpsichord
may well be able to ascribe it to Bach, but arranged for accordion it frequently
sounds like a folk piece which, though its Frenchness may be gainsaid, might
have its beginnings in any number of periods or places. Even Mozart's Variations
on a tune known to a dozen generations of children across Europe sounds as
if it might have originated on the accordion. However, apart from the typically
polystylistic Schnittke suite, the booklet does not indicate who made the
transcriptions, and that is rather a pity, because whether it was Sidorova
or someone else, the arranger deserves at least some credit for this musical
beguilement.
As to the original works for accordion (or bandoneón, in Piazzolla's case),
it may come as a surprise to many that an uncompromising modernist like Luciano
Berio wrote a work for an instrument with such a whimsical reputation, all
the more so to discover that the piece in question is one of his Sequenze!
As it happens, Sequenza XIII has been recorded a few times, by Joseph
Petric on Naxos, for example - see review.
The subtitle 'Chanson' comes from Berio's imagination - he had in mind "the
accompanied melodies of trips to the country and the songs of the working
class, of night clubs, of Argentinean tangos and of jazz." His description
gives some idea of the - for Berio - popular idiom, and it is without doubt
one of his most instantly appealing works.
Arne Nordheim was also a modernist, though he has more accordion 'previous'
than Berio - Flashing, in fact, is based on the cadenza of his 1975
accordion concerto Spur. If any criticism can be made of Sidorova's
varied programme, it is the placing of Nordheim's piece at the top of it:
not that Flashing is a forbidding work, but it does not yield up its
secrets with any special urgency and perhaps suggests a harder-going recital
for the non-specialist listener than it really is.
Like renowned Japanese accordionist Mie Miki - see enthusiastic review
of the latter's recent CD release on BIS (CD-1804) - Ksenija Sidorova is a
fantastic player, having technique and passion in abundance. If Sidorova is
Latvia's answer to Miki, her inclusion of Yuji Takahashi's reflective Like
a Water Buffalo is a tribute: Takahashi wrote this piece for Miki, who recorded
it a decade ago for BIS - see review
for details. The curious title comes from a short poem by Australian poet
Wendy Poussard, which Sidorova reads out as a preface to the multi-faceted
music.
By way of an encore, or 'bonus track' as the CD says quaintly, the final piece,
the first movement of Piazzolla's Five Tango Sensations, features a
first and last appearance for the Sacconi Quartet, taking the place of Piazzolla's
original dedicatees, the Kronos Quartet. Even though it relies heavily on
an ostinato, this piece is indeed a sensation, gloriously mournful and haunting,
and an inspired way to bring this impressive debut disc to an end.
The CD is beautifully recorded, although the microphones might have been better
placed a little further back from Sidorova - the unavoidable clacking of the
buttons is quite noisy at times. The attractive booklet is informative and
very cleanly laid out.
This is, in sum, an alluring disc that offers a fine introduction to Sidorova's
already beautifully toned musicianship.
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at reviews.gramma.co.uk
An alluring disc that offers a fine introduction to Sidorova's already beautifully
toned musicianship.