#ClassicsaDay #OddballConcerto Week 1

June is National Accordion Awareness Month. The Classics a Day team decided to take it a step further with this month's challenge. You can help promote Accordion Concerto Awareness! For the month of June, post video performances of accordion concertos. There are more than you might think.

Does that seem a little restrictive? Then feel free to post a concerto composed for any other non-standard instrument. 

Personally, I decided to do a mix of instruments. Here are my selections for the first week of #OddballConcerto. 

06/05/23 Konstantin Myaskov: Concerto No. 1 for Accordion and Orchestra

Myaskov was a Ukranian composer born in 1921. In addition to writing two concertos for the button accordion, he also composed concertos for other folk instruments.

06/06/23 Kevin Puts: Marimba Concerto

Puts composed his marimba concerto in 1997. He writes that his point of inspiration was the piano concertos of Mozart. To that end, the concerto exploits the lyrical rather than the rhythmic characteristics of the instrument.

06/07/23 Zhao Jiping: Pipa Concerto No. 2

Chinese composer Jiping is equally famous for his film scores as he is for his concert music. In both genres, he incorporates traditional Chinese instruments within Western orchestras.

06/08/23 Henri Sauget: The Garden's Concerto for harmonica and small orchestra

French composer Sauget is best known for his ballet scores. He was also a respected music critic in the 1930s and 1940s. He also founded the Composers Union. Sauget completed this concerto in 1953.

06/09/23 Lowell Liebermann: Piccolo Concerto, Op. 50

There are hundreds of flute concertos -- piccolo concertos, not so much. Liebermann composed this in 1996 on commission from the National Flute Association, which premiered the work.