Accordionist and composer Richard Galliano - "Madreperla" album - CD Review, May 10th, 2023

Petite Suite Française, the works Contrastes and Madreperla for accordion and orchestra (South Czech Philharmonic, conductor Miran Vaupotić).

On April 14th, 2023, the latest album of the famous French accordionist and composer Richard Galliano was released - a disc recorded in January 2022 at the Budweis Philharmonic Concert Hall and released by Navona Records.

Richard Galliano changed the path of the history of the accordion, which he lead to an unsuspected level before him, he delighted the public in the great concert halls with the sounds of his instrument and collaborated with great artists such as Astor Piazzolla, Wynton Marsalis, Michel Petrucciani or Charles Aznavour, authentically combining the style of classical music with the jazz repertoire. Having reached the age of 72, Richard Galliano is also an experienced composer, several of his creations for accordion and orchestra being brought together on the new album printed together with the South Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the Croatian conductor Miran Vaupotić.

Certainly, the accordion is an evocative instrument, its special timbre suggesting images of the Italian Riviera or charming Parisian cobbled streets. In the past, however, it was unthinkable that this instrument would fill the concert halls with so many spectators. Richard Galliano proved us the opposite . He created a vast concert repertoire including spectacular compositions for accordion and orchestra, and the most important of these, representing an unprecedented fusion between symphonic writing and dance music, they are included on the Madreperla album.

The work that gives the title of this disc is a symphonic suite created by Richard Galliano in 2018, guided by the conductor Victor Pulh, the music director of the Trier Symphony Orchestra. The pearl that Richard Galliano refers to is a material used by instrument makers to make the keys of bandoneons and accordions. "Through this work, I want to pay tribute to the great musicians and instruments that have inspired me in my musical journey," says Richard Galliano. His suite is structured in three parts - Tango ostinato dedicated to Astor Piazzolla and the bandoneon, the melancholic Ballad that evokes the Belgian jazz musician Toots Thielemans known for his interpretation on the chromatic harmonica and the Mazurka Antillaise dedicated to Eddy Louiss - performer on the Hammond organ.