These are his major international competition wins: 2008 1st Place, Trophée Mondial Senior Varieté 2009 1st Place, Coupe Mondiale 2009 1st Place, Coupe Mondiale Virtuoso Entertainment 2009 1st Place, Roland International V-Accordion Competition 2009 1st Place, Primus Ikaalinen International TV Competition – Finland 2010 1st Place, Trophée Mondial Senior Classique Included in the complete album are the following selections, all of which are outstanding examples of repertoire for the various accordion competitions held throughout the world.
One may readily see the great musical versatility required of a musician, perhaps even more so of a young person, to perform such a variety of styles and to do it with authority, polish, and tremendous technical mastery. It is obvious when listening to any one of the pieces that you are hearing a very gifted musician, one who has spent untold hours in preparation, but who plays with artistry and excitement, both of which sometimes get lost after several hundred hours of practicing and competing. This is not the case with Grayson’s performance; he is still projecting a fresh vitality, warm expression, and excitement throughout the album. The Twelve Variations on Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman by Mozart, composed originally for piano, are magical and very difficult. The original French melody first appeared probably in 1761 and has been used for many children’s songs and is, therefore, very familiar when heard by both young and old all over the world. It is a great pleasure to hear the piece on this recording, particularly considering the fast tempi for the many successful runs made with great assurance in the left hand, perhaps! There is far more than speed demonstrated so exceedingly well, however, in Grayson’s performance of this piece, all of which have contributed to his wealth of First Place trophies. Rarely does an accordionist tackle such a monumental piece as the Bach Passacaglia & Fugue in c minor for organ. Grayson does extremely well, in fact admirably, in bringing out the moving voices throughout, although I personally miss the larger more impressive bass sound, perhaps lacking due to the recording process. I also had a difficult time hearing the words in the Fragilissimo by Gorka Hermosa. Some of the tracks seemed to be recorded more softly than others, too. These were the only distractions I found in this exceptional recording. I could mention many attributes for each of the pieces performed, but you should listen and find out for yourself! You will like each and every selection. It is interesting to note, also, that this young artist performs on the piano keyboard accordion, and on not just one piano keyboard accordion but on different ones which would seem to indicate the necessity to adjust and adapt to any of the large or small variances inherent in such cases. The left hand free-bass system is also different from the one used by most “champions,” a fact which may offer encouragement to players using a system which is not the norm. Grayson seems not to have troubles in mastering any of these dissimilarities. It is with great pleasure that I recommend this first album by the New Zealander, Grayson Masefield. Rarely do we find musicians who can interpret both concert and variety music with an ease such as this artist exhibits. I urge you to support the efforts of all deserving musicians but I do it with even more fervency, perhaps, when I hear a young person playing so well, knowing that there are many years in the future for offering inspiration to all of us who listen and enjoy. We can only imagine the forecast for an already bright career in the case of Grayson Masefield. There are 14 eTracks MP3 either available for purchase, separately or as an Album, and may be downloaded to your computer. Both are available through www.musicforaccordion.com/eTracks/inform/masefield/index.htm One may also listen to a Sound Sample. The individual tracks are available at a very reasonable cost but I urge you to purchase the complete album (only 10 Euro). Reviewed by Joan Cochran Sommers ... April 1, 2012
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