Christian-Pierre La Marca cello

Félicien Brut accordion

How many things are unlikely about a cello and accordion duo? At first sight, it seems that some musical world has been turned upside-down. You might think of an otherworldly violin sonata instrumentation with treble and bass flipped—or that the poor misfit accordion, side-lined from the classical canon, was paired with one of the orchestra’s popular crowd. But despite any superficial assumptions about this improbable pair, once you hear the combination, few things are as captivating as the sound of a cello and an accordion together. It is a shared reedy richness, mellow and smooth, enriched by the distinctive phrasings of bellow and bow-stroke. These are highly complementary instruments which produce an ever-varying tapestry of sound. Both La Marca and Brut share a love of innovative programming, a curiosity for a wide range of repertoires and styles, and a support of new works for their respective instruments. In the case of Félicien Brut, this new-music quest truly expands the canon and enriches the number of modern classical works for the accordion. This stunning classical duo of new generation French virtuosos brings Music Network’s Autumn 2022 Season to a fantastic finish with a genre-busting programme World Songs spanning the Baroque to the modern day, including a not-to-be-missed premiere of a new Music Network commission by Irish composer Judith Ring.