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Accordionists Wiesław Ochwat and Maciej Zimka - the album 'AccoChameleon' - CD Review, the 21st of March 2022

The accordion, a famous traditional instrument with a history of almost 200 years, has been increasingly making its way into classical concert halls lately. This phenomenon has been helped by the skill of performers and the emergence of modern and contemporary compositions, as well as accordion transcriptions of famous works from the past. The technical and expressive possibilities of this instrument are extraordinary, as you can see by listening to the album of the accordion duo Wiesław Ochwat and Maciej Zimka. The complex texture of the string ensemble for which Johann Sebastian Bach composed the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 is spectacularly illustrated by the two Polish performers, with contrapuntal and rhythmic strictness, virtuosity and an impressive richness of sonorous discourse. "AccoChameleon" is the title of the album that accordionists Wiesław Ochwat and Maciej Zimka released on the 13th of November 2021.

The duo of accordionists Wiesław Ochwat and Maciej Zimka was founded in 2013, the two artists having graduated from the Krzysztof Penderecki Music Academy in Krakow, in the class of Professor Janusz Pater. They currently teach accordion at the institution they graduated from and carry out projects within the Art Forum Foundation. They have won many awards over the years and have participated in competitions and festivals in Poland, Italy, Czech Republic, France and Ukraine, their performances being characterized by originality, accuracy and creativity. The duo's repertoire is wide-ranging, from Bach to contemporary music, and many of the pieces they play are arrangements of famous universal music compositions. The highlight of this album recorded by the Ochwat-Zimka duo is the suite "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modest Musorgsky, in an arrangement for two accordions.

Larisa Clempuș