The 11th International Accordion Festival “Accordion Spring” presented four world premieres for accordion and other instruments at its gala concert in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic last week, accompanied by the Pantonale Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Miran Vaupotić: Mikołaj Majkusiak’s “Pictures from the Darkness”, Vladislav Solotaryov’s “Martin Eden”, Gorka Hermosa’s “Hope” and Roberto Molinelli’s “Visions from Sunland”.

These and other works by Viktor Vlasov (“Jazz Concert”) and Arkady Shilkloper (“Pilatus”, “Phiga”) were performed by international soloists: Radu Ratoi, Gorka Hermosa, Volodymyr Murza, Anna Lipkind-Mazor, Dmitri Prokoviev, Roberto Molinelli, Daniel Roth, Andrii Murza and Arkady Shilkloper.

The audience has been waiting for more than half a century for the concert performance of Vladislav Solotaryov’s “Martin Eden”. Now, the premiere of this dramatic poem for viola and string orchestra has finally taken place. The composer is considered the founder of the modern original accordion repertoire. One can only hope that the “Martin Eden” premiere will also rekindle interest in the work of Solotaryov – one of the most extraordinary Russian composers of the second half of the 20th century.

Mikołaj Majkusiak’s work “Images from the Darkness” is a cycle of compositions inspired by selected paintings that address the dark side of the human psyche, the hopelessness of war, unnecessary human tragedies, and psychological states associated with severe emotional disturbances. It is a triple concerto accompanied by a string orchestra, a kind of cycle of concert miniatures. The first part, “Grave”, refers to the painting “Blind Man in Belsen”, painted by the Australian painter Alan Moore in 1947, two years after the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. In it, he processes what he saw and experienced as an official war artist at the end of the Second World War. The second part, “Feroce”, is inspired by Edvard Munch’s arguably most famous painting, “The Scream” from 1910. Salvador Dalí’s 1940 painting “The Face of War” provides the artistic basis for the third part, “Infernale”. Majkusiak’s work ends with the fourth part, “Con fuoco”, which is based on the painting “AA80” by the Polish painter Zdzisław Beksiński from 1980.

Gorka Hermosa’s “Peace Dream” is a work for three accordion soloists and string orchestra based on two traditional melodies: the Ukrainian “веснянка” (freckle) and the Russian “утушка луговая” (meadow duck), which relate to each other in different ways throughout the piece: struggle, love, hate, war, hope… The first movement, “Peace Dream”, describes what happened (better times in the past, war and hope in the present), the second movement, “Meditatio”, reflects on the irrationality of human violence, and the third, “Uomo infernale e gentile”, reveals the two opposing faces of our species (hellish and friendly) and is thought-provoking. While the complete work was heard at last year’s Pantonale Festival, only the first movement was performed this time.

In Gorka Hermosa’s latest composition, “Hope”, which can be seen as the conclusion of the “Peace Dream” concert, although it is a standalone work, the hymn from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony echoes, proclaiming peace and hope. The choir, singing Friedrich Schiller’s text, powerfully conveys the hope for peace. In “Hope”, the two aforementioned melodies, the Ukrainian and the Russian, combine with this choral singing to create an almost mystical atmosphere reminiscent of Holst’s “Neptune”.

Roberto Molinelli’s “Visions from Sunland” is a two-movement composition for accordion, percussion, and string orchestra, inspired by the good mood, the dancing, and the nostalgic feelings of a journey through southern Italy, where in many areas the lifestyle still seems ‘happily frozen’, almost as it was 50 years ago. The composition echoes the hope that modern and future times will regain their lost lightness, illuminated and warmed by the sun’s rays of serenity and peace. A “romance” lyrically developed like an emotional song from the soul, followed by a rapid, virtuoso “tarantella” musically explores the diverse idiosyncrasies of the soloist and orchestra, transporting the audience to a “sunland” full of smiles, hope, and the desire to share them together.

From Darkness to Light

The four premieres of the gala concert are deliberately arranged in a sequence that leads from the gloomy, despairing mood of Majkusiak, through the hopeful tones of Hermosa’s works, initially overshadowed by war and fighting, to Molinelli’s “Sunland”.

The title of the festival, “Accordion Spring”, which began two days after the official start of spring on March 22nd with a concert at the Jesus Christ Church, thus fulfills two equally important aspects: New, never-before-heard works for accordion and orchestra will be premiered here, allowing the instrument to blossom again. With the beauty of this music, Pantonale e.V. aims to inspire the audience and, with the power of this new beginning, prepare for the Year of the Accordion 2026. Here, however, the meaning of spring can also be felt once again. The darkness and barrenness of winter, the melancholy, despair, and hardship, do not last forever. With spring, winter is overcome, and all that is beautiful blooms again. Spring is hope.

Closing concert at the Jesus Christ Church