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by Yuri Shishkin
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![]() This year the Festival Berlioz invited French accordionist Elodie Soulard to organize 6 concerts around ‘Music by Berlioz transcribed for accordions’. Yuri Shishkin, Elodie Soulard and Pierre Cussac (accordions) played fragments of the operas ‘Les Troyens’, ‘La Damnation de Faust’, ‘Béatrice et Bénédict’, of the symphony ‘Roméo et Juliette’, and the whole cycle of melodies ‘Nuits d'été’ (soprano was Ainhoa Zuazua - picture above). All these pieces by Berlioz were transcribed for 2 or 3 accordions by Elodie Soulard. Concerts were given every evening in front of the house were Berlioz was born on December 11th 1803 and lived to his 18th year, before an audience of about 200 people sitting in the garden. There was a theme each day like: ‘Berlioz and songs’, ‘Berlioz and Russia’, and ‘Berlioz and his friends’, where the public could also hear transcriptions performed solo by myself of works by Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Liszt, Moussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov. The accordionists were very successful, although the music by Berlioz shouldn't ever be heard on bayan! The public were impressed by the high level of performances and the sound quality of the 3 bayans. Some spectators testified, that they could easily hear the sounds of different instruments from the symphony orchestra during the performances. Picture right - Elodie Soulard performing, Yuri Shishkin is examining an original Berlioz score. The conditions of the open-air concerts were not always comfortable. At the festival end, there was a violent storm and the lightning broke one the walls of the town's old castle. However, even with the rain and cold, the audience still came to the concert with unbelievable interest, curiosity and a love of music. My participation in the Festival Berlioz was one of the most impressive experiences in my life. With my birthday on August 24th, playing under the balcony of Berlioz's house, I was incredibly happy! 6 CD's by Yuri Shishkin available online. |
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