This Ain’t Your Father’s Myron Floren

It’s always pissed me off that sound and video are out of sync in this recording. But it’s an astounding performance.

that kid has quite a presence on YouTube. I listened for a while.

@IanJ: I’ve been watching it all weekend, and I never noticed that. All a blur, I guess.

Personal reference: These guys usually show up at the Oregon Bach Festival, and I had a brief hand in an earlier version of their website. I’m not an expert in bitchin’ squeezeboxers, but this kid ain’t my first.

Lovely. Really lovely. Bach would have been thrilled. Put him in tails on a concert stage and the experience would entirely lose its Aspergers aspect.

Trouble with an accordion is that it looks like a very effortful instrument to play. Which makes it hard to take seriously. Because, according to the NYT, Art should never induce Sweat among its practitioners. Of course, when this piece is being played on the organ you don’t see the poor fool with his hands splayed and his legs spread yankin on stops like he’s driving a schoolbus off a cliff while the choirboy pumps the bellows.

@Benedick: What does the NYT have against every fiddle player who ever lived?

@nojo: The NYT hates artists of every stripe and hue because it is staffed by hacks who have no comprehension of what they do but are nevertheless jealous of them. The end.

Sorry to be a purist, but Vivaldi is rolling over in his grave. And if you want awful videos, I am like a truffle dog. Behold ….

@blogenfreude: Not so fast — before Edison ruined everything, live performance was the only way to hear music, and piano reductions were common if you didn’t have an orchestra on call. The accordion itself post-dated Vivaldi, so we really can’t tell what he would have thought.

And if you want to get nasty, any number of purists consider modern orchestras abominations.

@blogenfreude: It’s Four Seasons. Winter? Well fuck me. Anyway, he’s dead so who cares. The beginning sounded like the Toccata and Fugue and my brain shut down. Thank you for shaming me in front of the dogs. They have all gone to their safe place to dream of rabbits squirrels.

@blogenfreude: And besides, don’t make me haul out Walter/Wendy and go all Moog on yer arse.

@nojo: My brother-in-law had a Moog. His widow sold it for quite a lot of money. I mention this in passing.

@nojo: I love the Moog stuff … and sorry, but I think I know what Vivaldi would have said. “Questi gli due schemi?”

With those chops I think it’s pretty clear that if he’d picked up the guitar he’d be sleeping with a different sex crazed groupie (or two) every night on his 8 month tour through Europe supporting Ozzy’s latest album. But his mom made him learn the accordion, so instead he’s playing at some kid’s Bar-Mitzvah with orange and blue balloons in the background.

@blogenfreude: Questi gli due schemi? “Why so glum, pal?”