Jörgen Sundeqvist, the Swedish virtuoso and member of the Royal Academy of Music, has toured America, Europe, Russia and New Zealand and has been a soloist on radio and television on both sides of the Atlantic. He studied with Hans-Erik Naas in Stockholm and eventually went to California to study for two years with Anthony Galla-Rini, where he developed not only his brilliant technique but, also, his open-minded approach to all kinds of music. This led to his great knowledge of original accordion music from all over the world. In addition, he continued his study of music theory, composition and arranging. His devotion to develop the accordion as a chamber and solo instrument has given him the opportunity not only to perform with major symphony orchestra but, also, in innovative collaborations such as this one with one of Sweden’s leading organists, Håkan Dahlén. Dahlén is one of the major forces in the cultural life in Mid-Sweden and a much-appreciated soloist and chamber musician. He has appeared in a wide range of successful performances with dancers, choirs, and artists. Håkan is one of the founders of the Nordic Organ Festival and is a co-founder of Courthouse Music. He is the organist in Själevad church close to Örnsköldsvik. Many of us have performed the Concerto No. 1 in g minor by Anthony Galla-Rini in many different ways such as soloist with full symphonic orchestra, accordion orchestra, piano accompaniment and, even, as a duo with another accordion soloist. But, until now, no one had envisioned it being performed with organ! Thanks to the vision of these two outstanding musicians, it has now been done and recorded for posterity. Not only that, but it has been released in the year of the composer’s birthday anniversary number 101 (January 18, 2005), a truly legendary marker for an equally legendary American virtuoso accordionist, arranger, teacher and composer. The accordion and the organ blend extremely well together and, surprisingly, undoubtedly due to the musical artistry of the two performers, the organ does not overwhelm its much smaller sister, the accordion. I found it an extremely interesting combination of the various stops and switches available to the performers. While some of the inner voices of the symphonic version might be somewhat less apparent, they are not lost entirely. In this day and age of having fewer full symphony orchestras readily available and willing to spend much of their budget on rental of music, it is indeed possible to hear this beautiful milestone in the history of original accordion compositions performed in yet another satisfying musical manner. Just be sure the organist is also a virtuoso performer! Another outstanding performance on this recording is the Accordion Concerto by Eugene Zador. While it has not been performed a great many times, probably because the piano accompaniment does not give a true hearing experience of the original string parts, it is nevertheless another of those pieces we accordionists need to remember as a stepping stone in our quest for creditable repertoire. Zador’s reputation was undeniably strong and it was another gift to the history of the accordion to have Galla-Rini obtain this Concerto. The organ and accordion, once again, prove to be a remarkable combination in this performance. Some listeners may even prefer it to that with the original string and timpani accompaniment! And Zador seems to have several ideas of how to use the accordion in interesting manners. I believe you will enjoy this performance very much. And now we come to the third and final selection on the CD. The Bubble Tune, a previously unknown piece, to me at least, by Fredrik Högberg. This is a real and genuine GEM in my opinion! It makes my imagination soar with images of children holding the small toy that they dip into soapy water. They wave it, letting the wind blow bubbles, large and small, some perfect, others breaking before flight, with the sun causing myriad colors of the rainbow to drift endlessly throughout the sky until they either burst or return to earth. The virtuoso runs for both organ and accordion go up and down, up and down in technical displays smooth as silk. Then we are introduced to a lovely melody wandering along before the runs are introduced once again. While The Bubble Tune, was originally written for organ and vibraphone, with a later version replacing the vibraphone with a soprano saxophone, I cannot imagine any more satisfying version than the one heard here with organ and accordion! No wonder the composer is extremely successful, well known and has earned many awards. Let us hope he will favor accordion performers with more of his, as they say on the CD notes, music “always in a colorful way and not seldom with a warm sense of irresistible humor attached to it.” I highly recommend this CD. It was released by COURTHOUSE MUSIC (CMCD 010) and is available through several sources, including: Petosa Accordions, Schmulling, Akkordeonkiste (Thomas Assmus), or directly from Sundeqvist. The cost is available from them. Reviewed by Joan Cochran Sommers (May 2005) |
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