Mario's notes: "......Revival from World War 2 - devastating, but a happy childhood for me....exposure to French culture, including the rich literature and traditional accordion music .Accordion was king ! I loved the sound! My love and intense desire to play the accordion never diminished despite having to walk three miles weekly to my teacher with my instrument strapped to my back! That was truly to be the beginning of my musical career. I advanced quickly and went on to competitions, travelling extensively throughout France. My dreams became a reality upon winning the ultimate accordion competition, the Grand Prix of Paris! Musical trends have come and gone. The accordion presents itself in many styles of music, but remains the true ambassador of French music. It gives me great pleasure to present this album to you. As you travel along with me, experience the romantic French flavour. Bon Voyage........" I have heard many, many accordion recordings with French music, but this one left an especially good impression on me. What I particularly liked about Mario's performing style is that he plays with a refined but firm 'leggiero' touch which is so needed when performing French music. His bellows technique is excellent and he produces a full and intense sound, also very much needed for French music. His overall performance is really entertaining ,charming and sweet (but not too sweet, which is where I believe many accordion entertainers get trapped). Really good performance style, a pleasure to listen to! |
