This extraordinary concert evening is dedicated to the pure, emotional primal power of the accordion – an instrument that breathes through its bellows just like a human heart.
At the heart of the programme, the exceptional soloist Marko Kassl, together with the IDO Festival Ensemble, weaves a dialogue that gets right under your skin. He takes on the virtuoso violin solos from Antonio Vivaldi’s *The Four Seasons* and imbues them with an unexpected, deeply moving warmth.
After the interval, the splendour of the Baroque gives way to the pure longing of the 20th century, and a fascinating circle is completed: Astor Piazzolla’s melancholic ‘Autumn’ and icy ‘Winter’ are, at their core, nothing other than bittersweet instrumental chansons from the harbour districts of Buenos Aires. They speak of loneliness and pride with every fibre of their being. These passionate portraits of the soul blend with Édith Piaf’s tragic chanson *L’Accordéoniste* and Billy Joel’s immortal bar anthem *Piano Man*. Whether in a Parisian bistro, an Argentine tango club or a New York pub: the accordion becomes the intimate voice of the bar poets, capturing the dreams of the night-time figures and transforming longing into sound.
Featuring Marko Kassl, Frederike Möller and Chris Séguin. (Source: IDO Festival)
