A fine combination: Piazzolla and Szmerek in interesting works.
PIAZZOLLA: Homage á Liége; Escualo; Tanguedia; SZMEREK: Fantazja; Concerto – Elwira Sliwkiewicz-Cisak, accordion with guitar & Tangilio Quintet/Lublin Ch. Orch./Piotr Wijatkowski – DUX 1278 [Distr. by Naxos] (7/8/16) ****:
Who knew that there was a composer in Poland who would pair up beautifully with Piazzolla? Leave it to the Poles to come up with such a pairing. Next to Amsterdam, the leaders in European music. First, the Homage a Liege was a concerto which Piazzolla composed for his 64th birthday and was premiered at a guitar festival in Liege, France. The Escualo is one of his most famous tangos and gets a lovely performance. The Szmerek works – while not infused with the Argentine tango like Piazzolla – are lovely to hear and most enjoyable. There are not many accordion concertos and this one is top-rate. Sliwkiewicz-Cisak was a prize winner at a Polish accordion competition in 1985. The sonics are excellent for two-channel stereo.
The jewelbox is a SACD-type case with the rounded corners, which creates much confusion; but this is an ordinary CD. So don’t be fooled.
—John Sunier
