Sextet “NEUF”

or the meeting of Beethoven and the accordion

accordion and string quintet

with the Quatuor Hermès and Édouard Macarez

« In 2020, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of a legendary composer : Ludwig van Beethoven. Born in 1770, he died in Vienna in 1827, two years before the invention of the accordion in the same city by a piano maker : Cyrill Demian. Two little years therefore prevented a meeting… Almost two centuries later, we let ourselves be tempted by a dream, that of imaginig finally giving to this missed meeting… »

NEUF, or the meeting of Beethoven and the accordion

Nine symphonies, nine masterpieces and much more… How, in 2020, can an accordionist pay homage to the considerable work left by the immense composer ?

New because, beyond the tribute, it is future and novelty… Evoking a genius of musical creation by new creations is the challenge and the leimotif of this project.

Nine compositions from today, signed by composers from very diverse backgrounds who have accepted to take up this challenge and each write a piece inspired by a characteristic element of Beethoven’s work.

New like this instrument still very young in the classical universe, the accordion, enveloped by the magnificent strings of the Hermès Quartet end the double bass player Édouard Macarez : a sextet which becomes the blank page of each compeser, the communication vector between the music of yesterday and today.

Nine letters, B-E-E-T-H-O-V-E-N, A-C-C-O-R-D-I-O-N, nine letters in both words but two universes until there so far so far apart… One project, for nine letters, for nine creations, so that the new floods the year 2020 and the future of accordion !