Accordionist Adam Ørvad recommends concerts in September
Adam Ørvad is a Danish accordionist with a broad artistic profile - and this autumn he has no fewer than three albums coming out:
- On 18 September the trio album "Nsambia Mpungun" is released, with chamber music and solo works by the Cuban composer Louis Aguirre, who lives in Denmark. Ekkozone Records.
- In November "In Vlach Spirit" is released, with self-composed folk music from eastern Serbia, together with his daughter Gergana Maria Ørvad and a number of leading Serbian folk musicians. PGP-RTS (the record label of Serbian national radio).
- And in December comes the double album - "Les Masques De Neige" with 33 concert études for solo accordion by Louis Aguirre - presumably the largest collection of concert études ever written for the accordion. Gateway Records.
Adam Ørvad is a very active soloist and chamber musician whose musical engagement spans a wide range of genres: new works written in close collaboration with a large number of composers, innovative arrangements of baroque and romantic music, music theatre and opera in many guises - and Adam Ørvad is also an authority on folk music from the Balkans, leads his own Orfeus Balkan Ensemble, among other things, and often performs in Serbia and Bulgaria.
www.adamorvad.com
"The English Square Piano" - STEVEN DEVINE AND KATE SEMMENS
I really like the slimmer sound that fortepianos and older pianos have. Honestly, I hardly have a clue which composers you will get to experience at this concert - it simply sounds very interesting and appealing at first glance - like a musical experience with the chance to hear things I would not otherwise have come across.
Looking Back - DAHLIA STRING TRIO AND FRIENDS
It sounds like a concert where, besides fantastic music, you are also offered background stories about how the music came into being. I am very fond of telling the audience about the music I play myself - it often gives a completely different and bigger experience when you know something of the background to the music you hear. My knowledge of Brahms and Smetana is not overwhelming (for us accordionists, romantic music is not often among our strongest skills...) - so I am sure this concert would both give me a musical experience and broaden my horizons!
Samuel Lee & The Firebird - DR SYMFONIORKESTRET
With two of the 20th century's greatest classics - Stravinsky's Firebird and Sibelius's Violin Concerto - you simply cannot go entirely wrong on a night out. I would especially like to come and hear the Stravinsky. On top of that comes the premiere of nothing less than a symphony by Bára Gísladóttir. Despite her extensive list of works, I have not come across her music before - but this sounds like a really good opportunity to get to know it!
The Nordic Folk Soul - PÅL EIDE, PIANO, TOBIAS VAN DER PALS, CELLO
I know both Pål and Tobias as skilled and committed musicians - and it would certainly be inspiring to hear them together. I would especially like to hear them play Leopold van der Pals, whose works Tobias is strongly committed to rediscovering through recordings.
David Hildebrandt: Polyrhythm - DET KONGELIGE DANSKE MUSIKKONSERVATORIUM
Polyrhythms are still regarded by many musicians as something difficult and inaccessible - and in my opinion they are often not exploited as well in newly written music as they could be - with the extra layer or drive that polyrhythms can give. David is the king of polyrhythm - a couple of years ago he published the monstrous book "Polyrhythms - The Hildebrand Method" - an introduction to his own methods for performing complicated polyrhythms. Honestly, I still have yet to get properly acquainted with the book - on the other hand, in the spring I had the pleasure of playing duo concerts with David - where I found that my own little polyrhythm system (which is based on Bulgarian irregular time signatures) apparently worked fine together with David's!
