Harenstam and Weurlander : While The Night Falls : Contemporary Chamber Music for Guitar and Accordion : CD

WOLFGANG BARTSCH: Spiel Der Krafte: VICENTE GOGEHOLZ: Puyuyui: MINNA WEURLANDER: Nightfall and Noric: KRISTINA KUUSITSO/ ROGER EON: Astorita: ASTOR PIAZZOLLA : Gulinay ; Psicosis : PHILIP GLASS ( Arr David Harenstam): Mad Ruh ; Etude No16: STEFAN KLAVERDAL : The Slumbering Green :THELONIOUS MONK (Arr. David Harenstam) : ‘Round Midnight: PAT METHANY : Last Train Home .

David Harenstam (Guitar) and Minna Weurlander  ( Accordion)

Levin Studios: LS2401

Here is a CD involving two instruments that one doesn’t often hear together all that much , and moreover playing music that most of us won’t have come across before, excepting one or two composers.

Contemporary can often mean atonal or at least nearly so, and to be fair some of this album is bordering on that, take for example the opening track by Wolfgang Bartsch, Spiel der Krafte which begins with some percussion on the guitar with attacking short unusual chords on the accordion. It however does then gradually become more modern but advanced tonally rather than being completely atonal. It is full of heavy accents and unexpected musical details, and I must say some wonderful playing.

Vicente Gogeholz’s Puyuyui has some slight folk elements in it but again is very animated, and full of music you won’t have heard before.

Then we get a composition by the accordionist herself, Nightfall and Noric that begins with some quite unexpectedly low notes on the accordion before the main themes emerge. This is an attractive piece of writing and again quite different from the previous two pieces.

Astorita which I imagine might refer to Astor Piazzolla, and written by Kristina Kuusisto and Roger Eon takes us into more heavily accented country, with some amazing playing and again, full of themes and harmonies that occasionally surprise. Then we do get two pieces by Piazzolla himself, Gulinay and Psicosis, both of which are very typical of his style and yet were new to me.

Two tracks by Philip Glass and arranged by our players are next. Like much of his music they are quite tonal but often minimalist in style but suit the accordion and guitar extremely well, so much so thast they sound as if they were written for this duo of instruments!

Then we find a newly composed suite of three pieces by Stefan Klaverdal, The Slumbering Green. The first track Uninvaded Sleep is emotional, slow and a lovely piece of writing. Into the Sickly Light is darker in feel and yet still slow and heavily accented. The final movement Faintest Sunlights Flee is altogether faster moving particularly on the guitar while the accordion often plays long chords. This situation changes towards the middle where the music really takes off, only to slow down and become emotional at the coda. A very interesting piece of writing. The penultimate piece is an arrangement of Round Midnight by Thelonious Monk, a lovely piece of music that will be known to many of you. Again this works wonderfully well on the instruments here, very jazzy in its harmonies and with a great melody.

The final track is Pat Methany’s Last Train Home which closes the album on yet another beautiful and clever arrangement that sounds like it was written for these two instruments.

This is a most unexpected album full of music for the most part that I didn’t know, played on a pair of instruments that I haven’t hardly ever heard together, but I must say that the playing is exceptional, and the recordings are very clear and well balanced, which must be difficult in this case as the accordion is such a vibrant and at times loud instrument. This album is one to look out for if what i have written intrigues any of you.

Chris Dumigan