Dal Repertorio ottocentesco per strumenti ad ancia libera alla musica del Novecento – Alessandro Mugnoz and Claudia Menghi The piano and the accordion have always been a difficult pairing of two diverse sonorities and therefore it is not by chance that music written for this duo has not had popular acclaim – the only possible exception being the work of the Danish composer Poul Rovsing Olsen “Duo”. The sonoric challenge is taken up, on this CD, by the “courageous” Alessandro Mugnoz and Claudia Menghi. It is a challenge which they win and with some ease. The journey is planned along an “evolutionary ” route and takes us from compositions of 1856 to today. Only their correct (musicological) vision of the development of the accordion has allowed them to present such an irrefutable work. The CD has been made using the “modern “ accordion and thus it si specified on each tune whether the original was intended for concertina, physarmonika, harmonium or bandoneon. In fact in the excellent accompanying booklet, Mugnoz affirms that the modern accordion in an historical perspective , is the amalgam of all these instruments. This in sharp contrast for example to the many times that Piazolla is performed with out mention of the bandoneon. The duo have a wonderful harmony and are never apprehensive from the technical point of view, instead simply enjoying the beautiful melodies. The high point of the record is the first recording of two works of Angelo Panzini (1820-1886) for piano and physarmonika, which Mugnoz discovered in the library of the Verdi conservatorio of Milan. The style of these pieces has been missing in the accordions’ repetoire and the level of interaction between the two instruments makes these very valuable compositions. The Cd opens with Flying Leaves by Bernhard Molique and after Panzini we have Prelude, Fugue and Variation Op 18 by Cesar Franck. There follows two works by the Italian composer Adamo Volpi which Mugnoz uses as a link between the two halves of the Cd. One of Felice Fugazza’s later works “Dialoghi senza tempo” follows before leading to Astor Piazolla and Richard Galliano with Neuvo Tango and New Musette. To finish we get another double helping of Italian accordionist /composers –Italo Salizzato and Peppino Principe and their “ Danza erotica “ and “Cecilia” To conclude , this Cd has great value in not only bringing us compositions never previously recorded but also in the explanations in the accompanying booklet which give valuable insight to the listener. Reviewed by Paolo Picchio, February 2007 This CD is available on the Alessandro Mugnoz site on MusicForAccordion.com - high security eCommerce site run by WorldPay.com, part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group |
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