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CD Review

	Rècital
	Jean-Marc Marroni (accordion) and Laurence Cavagnolo (vocals)
	Jean-Marc Marroni and Laurence Cavagnolo
	August 8th 2003
	1. Giuseppe Verdi - Composizioni da Camera "Ton t'accostare all'urna 2. Max Reger - Ausgewàhlte Lieder "mein Traum" 3. George Bizet - Habanera de Carmen 4. Vincenzo Bellini - Composizioni da Camera "Il fervido desiderio 5. Francis Poulenc - Les chemins de l'amour 6. Rudolf Sieczynski - Wien, du Stadt meiner Tràume 7. Jean-Marc Marroni - Meditation devant l'image du Sacre Sindone 8. George Friedrich Handel - Ombra mai fu 9. Luciano Berio - La donna ideale 10. Manuel de Falla - Nr5-Jota 11. Astor Piazzolla - Oblivion 12. Oscar Straus - Je ne suis pas ce que l'on pense

This CD introduces one of the more fruitful chamber combinations: the accordion (understood as a classical instrument) and vocals. In this case Laurence Cavagnolo (dramatic soprano, accustomed to performing on many stages in numerous French and foreign theatres) performs with the accordion of Jean-Marc Marroni.

Their repertoire ranges from Händel to Berio and Piazzolla and is therefore (from the point of view of styles) very vast. In this great "historical magnitude" inevitably the accordion is sometimes excluded from accompaniment, but sometimes a balanced duo. Its accompaniment function doesn't have to be in any way seen as mortification of the instrument: the accordion has some specifics that make it an excellent accompaniment instrument and it is just as interesting and certainly many times richer than a piano; unfortunately this diffusion is not always put into practise (and also needs good instrumental adaptations).

For example it is clear how the accordion "suffers" the "softness" of the music written by the young Verdi in "Non t'accostare all'urna" (from the "Six Romances" 1838), or his incapability to separate the continuous from the orchestra "Ombra Mai Fu" (Händel). Instead the best performed pieces are without doubt the harmonic combines of Reger, the sparkling colors of the "Habanera" from "Carmen" (Bizet), the sudden changes of humor of the Chanson (Berio), the tightrope walkings of "Jota " (Manuel della Falla) and the refinement and the humor of the waltz (Oscar Straus).

Laurence presents herself as an ample artist (covering several different roles) singing in 4 different languages (Italian, French, German and Spanish) and she surely finds herself at ease with Reger, Poulenc, Falla and Strauss. Her companion is outstanding above all for control of sound and to "tame" the great potentiality of his instrument by responding to the disposition of the music as well as the equilibrium of the duo.

Jean-Marc demonstrates another great merit: "Meditation devant l'image du Sacre Sindone" composed by himself for accordion solo - placed as a "turning point " in the middle of this CD- a true "jewel".

To order the CD go to MFA