I am feeling rather whimsical today, so I thought it would be fun to point out some phenomenal classical music played on the accordion!
Aleksandr Hrustevich has become an Internet star with his rendition of Vivaldi’s “Summer” (from The Four Seasons) that he plays on a Russian chromatic button accordion, also called a bayan, with seemingly impossible dexterity.
Hrustevich hails from the Ukraine. The accordion hails, according to some accounts, from as far back as 3000 B.C. The first instrument to use a vibrating reed principle, which is utilized in the accordion, was the cheng, an instrument invented in ancient China. It was said to resemble the Phoenix bird; it had a resonating body made of a gourd, a mouthpiece, and up to 24 bamboo pipes.
For more information about accordions and their history visit www.accordions.com .
You can also visit Hrustevich’s YouTube homepage, where he has several other phenomenal videos posted.