#ClassicsaDay #OddballConcerto Week 3
By Ralph Graves
June is National Accordion Awareness Month. The Classics a Day team decided to take it a step further with this month’s challenge. You can help promote Accordion Concerto Awareness! For the month of June, post video performances of accordion concertos. There are more than you might think.
Does that seem a little restrictive? Then feel free to post a concerto composed for any other non-standard instrument.
Personally, I decided to do a mix of instruments. Here are my selections for the third week of #OddballConcerto.
06/19/23 Krzysztof Penderecki: Accordion Concerto
Accordion virtuoso Maciej Frackiewicz commissioned this concerto from Pendercki in 2013. He worked closely with the composer and premiered it in 2017.
06/20/23 Stephen W. Beatty: 886 Concerto for Hecklephone
The double-reed heckelphone was developed at the request of Richard Wagner. It’s kind of a bass oboe, filling in the register gap between oboe and bassoon.
6/21/23 Tan Dun: Concerto for String Orchestra and Pipa
Tan Dun composed his theater piece Ghost Opera for Wu Man (pipa) and the Kronos Quartet in 1994. Elements from that work became this concerto which premiered — also with Wu Man — in 1999.
6/22/23 Malcolm Arnold: Harmonica Concerto, Op 46
Harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler commissioned this work in 1954. It was premiered at the BBC Proms that same year.
6/23/23 John Williams: Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra
Film composer John Williams wrote this work for the centennial celebration of the Bostom Pops in 1985. The first movement quotes from Williams’ film score “Superman.”
