Bogdan Anastasiei

It is easy to imagine Bach taking advantage of the accordion’s unlimited potential: its malleable and boundless dynamics, in direct contact with the bellows; its registers, comparable to those of an organ; its sophisticated buttonboard, which allows for virtuoso playing; and its great musical agility, like that of a chest organ. Of course, Bach would also have perceived the accordion’s limitations stemming from the dynamic uniformity of the right and left hands, but which a skilful player can offset. He might even have tapped Bogdan Nesterenko on the shoulder, asking him to put down his accordion and let him try out this amazing new instrument. And despite Bach’s incredible gifts, he probably would have handed it back quickly, after realizing how very difficult it is to play!

The accordion has long had a reputation as an instrument for folk music and of street musicians. Its technical and cultural evolution can be neatly traced from its very invention in 1829 by Cyrill Demian in his apartment on Vienna's Mariahilfer Straße, No. 43, to this day. The accordionist Bogdan Laketic, who lives in Vienna, dedicates his debut album Made in Vienna to this city, choosing works by composers who are also directly connected with Vienna. Thus, the Sonatas for Piano in A flat major, Hob. XVI:46 and in E minor, Hob. XVI:34 by Joseph Haydn, the Six little Piano Pieces Op. 19 by Arnold Schönberg and the Soirées de Vienne, S 427 No. 6 by Franz Liszt are interpreted in his own arrangements. Also based in Vienna is the Belgian composer Dirk D'Ase, who in 2011 composed Figuren/Induktionen, in which the diversity of the accordion's sound once again comes into play.

With this second recording of piano concertos - following the Variations in 2021 - I am extending my Franz Xaver Mozart project. Already at an early stage in my career as a pianist, I felt a special connection to the compositions of Franz Xaver Mozart. It was his 1st Piano Concerto that I performed during my first orchestral performance abroad at the age of 13, that took place in Switzerland, accompanied by the INSO Lviv Orchestra. His music stirred my soul and still inspires me today. After my studies, I became intensively absorbed in Franz Xavier Mozart’s work. In the process, I kept discovering new precious musical gems. His work in Galicia continues to invigorate the multicultural life of the region to this day. With the expansion of this Franz Xaver Mozart project, I hope his music will step out of his father’s shadow, the great master Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and be recognised accordingly. I am convinced that his legacy has not yet been fully explored, which motivates me to continue my research.