Tour 2005 Accordion Gianluca Pica

The impression that one gets from listening to this CD is that of an accordionist / arranger (even composer) who is technically experienced, not just from the aspect of the instrument but also by the way he elaborates and orchestrates (electronically) the various tracks presented.

All of these have been “personalized” by the creative use of digital technology available today.

The work is divided in 2 parts: the actual program (around 20 minutes) and a CD ROM bonus track where 2 tracks (My heart and Dance2003), composed by Pica himself, are treated in a dance style and performed with the singer Chiara Celliti (author of the texts).

The eclectic programme is made up of 6 tracks: 4 transcriptions and 2 original compositions for accordion.
To start there is Asturias by Albeniz with an insertion (half way through) of the noted guitar theme Concerto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo:
there follows the interesting B.B. (Brel – Bach) – second movement of the Suite for accordion by F.Angelis.

Pica then consolidates with another famous piece,
the third movement (Presto) of Concerto in G minor (Summer) by Vivaldi (with special effects “ sampled summer storm”):
we proceed with the torment of Morricones’ “Playing Love” from the sound track to the movie “The legend of the pianist and the ocean”:
then Galliano’s gripping “Tango pour Claude” with a brief insertion of Libertango
– and finally we end with “Radetzky March” (J. Strauss) played in a gipsy style, that is starting slowly and progressively getting faster.

It is clear that the player wishes to present the accordion as an eclectic, complete and (above all) real way of making music – and he presents it in a “new” style for the modern generation (this idea confirmed by the inclusion of the bonus CD ROM track): all of this without forgetting the accordions' classical tradition.

Reviewed by Alessandro Mugnoz, August 2006