Author: Claus Müller

The history of the accordion dates to China around 2000 BC. In 1829, instrument maker Cyrill Demian registered the first patent for his “accordion” in Vienna (Austria). Further developments for instruments as we know them today took place primarily in Italy and Germany. You are probably familiar with a few traditional accordion brands (selection): Hohner or Weltmeister from Germany, Pigini, Scandalli, Brandoni, or Borsini from Italy, and Zupan from Slovenia. The Berlin State Music Council named the accordion the Instrument of the Year 2026.

The instruments, which combine bellows, reeds, keys, buttons, and a keyboard, are often used in light music. With this magnificent recording, the Akkordeon Orchester Altenessen demonstrates the potential of accordions for orchestral use. It features 17 musicians, including conductor Ralf Donner. The selection and arrangements of the pieces are excellent: two titles are by Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla. These are joined by a French melody, a Finnish folk tune, and a tango nuevo.

The precision of the recording allows the accordions to be followed optimally on the virtual stereo stage. It is wonderful how the notes intertwine, how the orchestra lets the notes linger, how they change harmonies, how the moods blend with the solo instruments. In the last two tracks, the musicians come out of their shells more, which I very much welcome. Unfortunately, background noise from the audience was unavoidable in this live recording. Sometimes a piece of candy is unwrapped, then a smartphone falls to the floor. However, it would be an exaggeration to downgrade the sound for these reasons. The accordion is given high honors in this concert. I highly recommend a trip into this largely unknown musical world.

The Alte Kirche Altenessen provided the perfect setting for this purely analog recording. Rainer Neuwirth from RN-Audio used two MBHO microphones with omnidirectional characteristics, mounted on a Jacklin MK II disc. The signals were fed through SPL Goldmike amplifiers and an ANT telcom c4 unit into a Revox PR99 tape recorder.

Considering the affordable price, the packaging for this master tape copy is outstanding. Custom-designed stickers adorn the front, back, and spine of the standard tape box. A data sheet and an eight-page booklet, which is well worth reading and contains many photos of the recording session, are included in a glued-in pocket.

RN-Audio offers a range of different versions of the master tape copies. Prices start at €135.00 for a Darklab PE5055M tape on a small reel at 19 cm/s. Since I have tape machines that I operate horizontally, I opted for a raw reel (without spool). If you cannot find “your” version on the RN-Audio homepage, please inquire. Rainer Neuwirth can fulfill a wide range of customer requests.

Translated from German with www.DeepL.com (free version)