ContraDANCE MZ Duo

• Aileen Sweeney (b. 1994): The Mirrie Dancers:
• 1 Sweeney: The Mirrie Dancers 08:07
• Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916): Danzas españolas, Op. 37:
• 2 Granados: Danzas españolas, Op. 37: I. Galante-Minueto (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 02:30
• 3 Granados: Danzas españolas, Op. 37: II. Oriental (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 04:34
• 4 Granados: Danzas españolas, Op. 37: V. Andaluza (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 05:23
• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68:
• 5 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: I. Prélude (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 03:34
• 6 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: II. Forlane (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 05:03
• 7 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: III. Menuet (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 04:15
• 8 Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin, M. 68: IV. Rigaudon (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 03:07
• Alex Paxton (b. 1990): Water Butt:
• 9 Paxton: Water Butt: lovers, snorkel 09:14
• Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945): Dance Suite, Sz. 77, BB 86a:
• 10 Bartók: Dance Suite, Sz. 77, BB 86a: I. Moderato (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 03:20
• 11 Bartók: Dance Suite, Sz. 77, BB 86a: II. Allegro molto (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 02:14
• 12 Bartók: Dance Suite, Sz. 77, BB 86a: III. Allegro vivace (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 02:38
• 13 Bartók: Dance Suite, Sz. 77, BB 86a: IV. Molto tranquillo (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 02:06
• 14 Bartók: Dance Suite, Sz. 77, BB 86a: V. Comodo (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 01:00
• 15 Bartók: Dance Suite, Sz. 77, BB 86a: VI. Finale Allegro (Arr. for Saxophone and Accordion by MZ Duo) 03:50
• Total Runtime 01:00:55

Info for ContraDANCE

The unusual and compelling instrumental pairing of saxophone and accordion has received impressive advocacy in recent years from the duo of Canadian saxophonist David Zucchi and Spanish accordionist Inigo Mikeleiz-Berrade, whose repertoire ranges from reimagined classics to newly commissioned works and improvisation. Their debut album ContraDANCE gathers five works which draw in different ways on the rhythms, contextsand sheer ebullience of popular dance forms. Scottish composer Aileen Sweeney evokes the northern lights in music which draws on the folk traditions of Norway and Shetland.The duo's own transcriptions of suites by Granados, Ravel and Bartok bear witnessto the presence of folk styles and idioms stretching from the Mediterranean and Central Europe to North Africa in their respective composers' musical imaginations, while Alex Paxton's unforgettable Water Butt: lovers, snorkel transcends place and time in an unrelenting build-up of joy and bodily ecstasy.

MZ Duo

The MZ Duo
is a London–based ensemble formed by Canadian saxophonist David Zucchi and Spanish accordionist Iñigo Mikeleiz-Berrade. Winners of the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition’s Mixed Ensemble Prize and City Music Foundation Artists, the duo’s repertoire spans everything from reimagined traditional works to modern repertoire and improvisation, all vividly rendered by the unique combination of saxophone and accordion.

After their debut concert at the Vale de Cambra Classical Music Festival (Portugal) in 2019, the duo has performed across the UK and Europe, including appearances at Wigmore Hall, Edinburgh Fringe, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Barnes Music Festival, Newbury Spring Festival, Music@Malling, Rye Arts Festival, Buxton International Festival, the Rosengart Museum (Lucerne), St. George’s Bristol, and the Daylight Music series (Union Chapel, London). They have appeared on BBC Radio 3's In Tune with Sean Rafferty, and have been residents at Music at Brel and Ferrandou Musique. The duo is dedicated to the generation of new repertoire for their instrumentation, and have collaborated with composers including Robin Haigh, Aileen Sweeney, Roxanna Albayati, Brian Elias, Benjamin Oliver, Michael Hughes, and Alex Paxton. New commissions and projects for the duo have been supported by the Marchus Trust, City Music Foundation, the RPS Susan Bradshaw Composers' Fund, the Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust, and the Vaughan Williams Foundation.

Booklet for ContraDANCE