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imperialbari wrote:Tubists by many are considered insensitive recidivists in musical crimes, but we hardly are the worst:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDd6o9AjRr0

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged!
Reference: Tuba Christmas

I happen to know several of those players. No, that's real. Believe me, it's a much more amazing sight and sound than you'd imagine.

I'm sure the sound was recorded on one specific camera and the B-roll video edited to it. But, that's no different than any video of any orchestra, shot with multiple cameras.

There are at least 4 former world champions playing in that group, and I saw 5 who had Kansas City connections. Joan Summers (Jo-ann) is Professor Emeritus of Accordion at UMKC. She had the only university program where one could earn a DMA in Accordion Performance. Not that anyone ever did, but it was offered. She taught there for nearly 40 years (still does, but I don't think she has any majors any more), and had something like 6 world champions, and many more who were finalists for the championships. She is a former world champ herself. Yes, they have a cut-throat competition annually, with world-wide competitors.

It's easy, and fun, to make fun of accordions, but I gained a huge respect for them 33 years ago, and it's only grown.

Very interesting. As stated, it is easy to make fun of accordions, and I do
but I have played with a superb accordionist for over 30 years, and it is amazing what a good one can do. I notice that everyone I saw in the video was playing a piano accordion. In my view, the very top players play "button boxes", or diatonic accordions. These are based on the design of the Russian Bayonne, and are a world apart from piano accordions. For example, on a button box, one can easily play a melody in 3 parallel octaves, which is not possible on a piano accordion.

There is an old joke about tuba players and lederhosen (I use bundhosen), but many tuba players (maybe most) have done German band jobs. It seems to be part of the business. A good, ethnic accordionist can make you a lot of money over a few years.

SK

There are more than a few playing all button accordions in that video.

The concertmaster is Kevin Friedrich, native of New Zealand and a fraternity brother from UMKC. He was NZ champion several years in a row, and finished in the top 5 twice at worlds. I'm surprised he is playing piano right hand. He is/was President of the American Accordion Association, and on the board of the Coupe Mondiale.

Those are all chromatic accordions, diatonic couldn't do all that stuff. Diatonics aren't used for "legit" playing very often, though they do have a place.

I remember once, at a regional SInfonia event, a couple guys laughing that Kevin was really going to play "Beer Barrel Polka" instead of the Bach and whatever else in the program. Those two were the first to stand for the ovation he got. Justly deserved.

So, yeah, I enjoy a good accordion joke, but all my squeezie friends know I respect them greatly. I've heard some amazing music.

And, it's fun to read "TITANO" backwards...

If you have not seen "Music from the Inside Out", you should!

In it, there is a performance of music from the "Four Seasons", done by an Eastern European accordian player, which is AMAZING!