World Accordion to Ksenija Sidorova

By C Wall

Over the years, the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society has welcomed a generous representation of orchestral players to the Covent Ballroom, for solo recitals.

You won’t see an accordion in most symphony orchestras, though some have called the accordion “an orchestra in the box” for the versatility of its sound.

The recital by Ksenija Sidorova, a charismatic ambassador for the classical accordion, made a startling case for a distinctive musical language, unabashed by the folksy associations with street entertainers, as equally able to reinterpret the old repertoire as command new commissions.

Sidorova’s decorative accordion even provided a visual feast for those of us blessed with clear sight lines, as keyboard, buttons and bellows all faced the audience. How many instruments reveal this much in their playing?

Glassworks by, yes, Philip Glass offered a sensible opening, a slow and hypnotic rhythm establishing a counterpart to any expectations of jolly dance music.

The J S Bach BMV974 Adagio in D Minor, an arrangement of an arrangement, was tender and expressive.

But it took Sketch III by Sergey Akhunov, adapted by the composer for Sidorova, to draw out her virtuosity, sounding with nervy articulacy across key and volume changes.

Beyond Bach by Gabriela Montero slid through the divine elegance of JS to the searching dreaminess of the present century, gorgeous to hear its numberless steps.

Three Ballades, by Fazil Say, didn’t really work as a single suite, but sung individually of painful longing, playful affection, and something of the confusion of passionate romance. And Sidorova freshened the Albéniz Asturias with a percussive dance of muddled geography that combined dazzling piano and halting guitar, adding its own duende.

Piazzolla was the least surprising name on the programme, and Sidorova stepped straight in after the interval with a Chau, Paris! packed with metropolitan poise and quasi-spontaneous flair.
The Fantasie on a Piazzolla theme by Franck Angelis made much of the accordion’s emotional capacity, in parts touching then rousing.

Sidorova warned that Sergey Voitenko’s bayan Revelation was Russian rather than Argentinian, an explanation made unnecessary by the reflective melancholy transmitted through her playing.
Cinderella by Alexey Arkhipovsky was childlike and folksy, a flavour of Russia’s heartland.

Four movements from Alfred Schnittke’s Gogol Suite conveyed, with wit and irony, tonal portraits of recognisable literary types and Elizabeth Borowsky’s textured Homage to Astor Piazzolla made Sidorova move and knock wood, a charming encore to end a memorable evening.