Zhang Guoping's selection for this recording is a program consisting of original Chinese and Russian pieces and transcriptions. Zhang Guoping's performance of Chinese pieces is quite impressive: technically sound, he naturally feels all the musical nuances of his national music and interprets them convincingly and confidently. Zhang Guoping also made a nice attempt in very well known pieces; Gridin's Rassipuha and Strauss's Voices of Spring arranged for the button accordion by Yashkevich. Written for the button accordion, these pieces are technically extremely demanding on piano accordion, but Zhang Guoping meets these demands with ease, effortlessly, and with wide musical expression. However, some sections of these pieces are physically impossible to be performed on piano accordion as they were written for the button accordion. Zhang Guoping had to rearrange the music, which, in my opinion, didn't add to the beauty of the piece, on the contrary. So, I suppose, that opens up an ever lasting question: is it practical/desirable to play on piano accordion pieces so obviously not meant for that instrument and then make arrangements, in which the piece and the performer lose? I was also very impressed with the way Zhang Guoping performed Trepak, it is all on "one breath", very crisp, clear, and emotional. Overall, this recording is surely worth purchasing. |
