Breathtaking final at the 5th V-Accordionfestival in Berlin

21st - 22nd November 2011, Berlin

UWE STEGER

The contest started with two candidates in the junior category. The only 11-year old Tobias Schlagbauer from Altdorf, already winner of the junior category piano accordion at the ROLAND Oberkrainerwettbewerb 2011, stuck to his genre in Berlin and played competent and perfectly dressed without any sign of stage-fright four compositions from Slavko Avsenik. Walking in his leather trousers through Berlins quarter Neukölln was according to him more frightening than the performance itself. Second candidate was the 17-year old Carina Hörl from Maisach with a very varied and nicely arranged program consisting of movie titles and the Irish Pub Tales from Lars Bjarne. The arrangement was obviously influenced by her friend Matthias Matzke who participated this year in the adult category. The performance from Carina was musically and optically perfectly staged. In the end the jury decided, also related to the big gap in age, to award two first prices, so both candidates could add a V-Accordion to their baggage when travelling home.

RUDIK YAKHIN WITH DANCER

The adult category turned out to be extremely exiting. ROLAND selected five candidates to participate in the festival. Sergej Lukashov from Berlin opened the contest with his nicely arranged song „Der slawische Morgen“followed by an „Akkordeon-Boogie-Woogie“. Accordion teacher Frank Rudolph from Bielefeld played besides the Adaption of the Sonatine D-Dur op.36 by Muzio Clementi two impressing self composed titles. Berlin accordion player Alexander Danko convinced the audience and jury with his soulfully and dynamically interpreted versions of „I only want to say“ from the opera „Jesus Christ Superstar“ by Andrew Lloyd Webber  and the Toccata  from the „Gotischen Suite“ by Leon  Boelmann so much, that he finally won the third place and received standing ovations.

The final decision of the contest now took place in a true fight of the giants. The last contestants of the evening were Michael Rettig, 21 and Matthias Matzke, 18. Equally young, talented and already famous in the accordion world they made it hard for the jury to judge. The multiple world champion on the Steierische Harmonika Michael Rettig played the following titles in breathtaking perfection and varying arrangements on the button accordion: „Fugue for Art“by Frank Marocco, the „Romance“ by Franck Angelis and the „Indianischen Tänze“ by Jan Meisl. He again showed his unique talent and underlined his favorite role. The victory was close, but the last candidate, Matthias Matzke, could get the jury on his side with „L'Aquilon“ by André Astier/Jacky Mallerey in an own arrangement and „Don't Be That Way“ by Benny Goodman arranged by Franck Marocco. Matthias Matzke is well known for his precise playing paired with a huge presence on the stage and already won the junior category of the V-Accordionfestivals in 2009. He obviously knows all the small details of his instrument. The last kick for his first place was surely his arrangement of the fantasy „About the Rainbow“based on "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Harold Arlen. Guitar chords, sound of waves hitting the shore, rain and thunder perfectly matched with the instrument sounds of his V-Accordion. Matthias Matzke pulled every register on stage; used mimic and gesture and also an umbrella for a perfect optical impression of the song and was awarded with the important points for his narrow victory.

MATTHIAS MATZKE - WINNER

The time for the judgment of the jury was used by accordionist Frank Fehse and the surprisingly now also brilliant singing Moira Serfling to raise the audience from the seats with only V-Accordion, arranger module BK-7m and vocal processor VP-7 sounding like a big pop band.

MOIRA SERFLING WITH FRANK FEHS

With the price award this successful evening came to an end and many visitors were much more aware of the possibilities of the V-Accordion than at the beginning of the contest. Hence many questions were asked which could be answered and demonstrated broadly by the ROLAND team and the Akkordeonzentrum Brusch. Now it means crossing fingers for Matthias Matzke at the great final in Rome. The contest can be watched online under www.v-accordionfestival.com.