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DCD34361-CD
£19.99
Canadian saxophonist David Zucchi and Spanish accordionist Iñigo Mikeleiz-Berrade bring the unlikely pairing of their instruments to vivid life in this debut recording. Rooted in rhythm and movement, their programme features two new commissions – Aileen Sweeney’s Shetland-inspired The Mirrie Dancers and Alex Paxton’s exuberant Water Butt: lovers, snorkel – alongside the duo’s own reimaginings of Granados’s Danzas españolas, Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin and Bartók’s Dance Suite. By turns virtuosic, lyrical and irrepressibly playful, ContraDANCE reveals the astonishing expressive range of a partnership that has already captivated audiences across Europe.
By turning virtuosic, lyrical, and irrepressibly playful, ContraDANCE reveals an astonishing expressive range. This is a partnership that has clearly captivated audiences across Europe, and the evidence here suggests that acclaim is thoroughly merited. The fusion of these distinctive timbres makes for consistently engaging listening, demonstrating that unusual instrumental combinations, handled with this degree of artistry and imagination, can yield genuinely illuminating musical insights.
Read full review here.
By turning virtuosic, lyrical, and irrepressibly playful, ContraDANCE reveals an astonishing expressive range. This is a partnership that has clearly captivated audiences across Europe, and the evidence here suggests that acclaim is thoroughly merited. The fusion of these distinctive timbres makes for consistently engaging listening, demonstrating that unusual instrumental combinations, handled with this degree of artistry and imagination, can yield genuinely illuminating musical insights.
The two new pieces are both successful, albeit in very different ways. The album opener The Mirrie Dancers, by Aileen Sweeney (b.1994) is an initially dreamy and free-flowing evocation of the Northern Lights as seen from the Shetland Islands, with the musical material indebted to the folk music of the region. The energy builds to a hallingdansen, a whirling Norwegian dance, before receding again, Zucchi’s singing line in the low soprano register sings eloquently.
Collections: All Releases, Chamber, Contemporary, New Releases
Category: Accordion, Adès, Alex Paxton, Bartók, Chamber, Contemporary, Duo, Granados, MZ Duo, Ravel, Saxophone, Sweeney
MZ Duo performs Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin: I. Prélude (arr. for Accordion and Saxophone by MZ Duo) at St Mary's Parish Church, Haddington
