Paul Badura-Skoda

[Zevy]

Paul Badura-Skoda, a very well-known classical pianist, passed away on September 25. There are actually a few tracks of him playing the accordion. Here is one. He was obviously no slouch!

 

[Eddy Yates]

Great find, Zevy. I had no idea!

 

[Deleted member 48]

I never knew he was an amateur accordion player.
One of the great pianists, his complete recordings of the Beethoven sonatas on pianoforte is on my list for Santa.
Also his Mozart piano recordings on pianoforte are a treasure.

 

[Zevy]

I never knew he was an amateur accordion player.
One of the great pianists, his complete recordings of the Beethoven sonatas on pianoforte is on my list for Santa.
Also his Mozart piano recordings on pianoforte are a treasure.

Nothing personal, but my opinion is that if you listen to that track once more you wouldn't refer to him as an amateur accordion player. There are actually a few more tracks of him playing accordion on the first disc of the set (I believe that he recorded the accordion tunes early on in his career and the entire set is in chronological order). I downloaded the track on which he played Frosini's "Love Smiles". For some reason it was titled, "Serenade Italienne". His playing was impeccable. And the music was recorded in the years when there was just one "live" take - no editing!

 

[Deleted member 48]

With the term amateur I wasn't referring to the level. 
Amateurs can have an equal level as professionals. 

I meant he was not, so far as I know, a professional career accordion teacher or concertist. 
But maybe he was preparing for the squeezebox before the piano seduced him. 

His accordion playing is top, could have been a pro playing.

 

[Eddy Yates]

My family had some of Badura-Skodas recordings when I was a child. I liked them, but I liked everything we had, because there were only a few records, money being scarce. I just read this interview with him, hoping to find a mention of the accordion. Nothing. But then, of course, the interviewer didnt ask him about that!
http://www.iplaythepiano.com/piano-mag/paul-badura-skoda-interview.html

 

[Zevy]

With the term amateur I wasn't referring to the level. 
Amateurs can have an equal level as professionals. 

I meant he was not, so far as I know, a professional career accordion teacher or concertist. 
But maybe he was preparing for the squeezebox before the piano seduced him. 

His accordion playing is top, could have been a pro playing.

Well understood, Stephen.

 

[Deleted member 48]

His Rossini arr. for accordion is said to be recorded in 1942:
https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.d...ura-skoda.1091.de.html?dram:article_id=179577

Gioachino Rossini
Ouvertüre zur Oper „La Gazza Ladra“
Paul Badura-Skoda, Akkordeon
(1942)

He tells about his accordion ad piao playing as a teenager during the war:
https://www.derstandard.at/story/20...ra-skoda-es-geht-nicht-um-die-anzahl-falscher
Badura-Skoda: Noch mehr als sonst, ja. Allerdings verdanke ich es meinem Stiefvater Anton Skoda, dass ein Bauer in der Gegend von Amstetten, der Bürgermeister war und Antinazi, mich und meine Familie offiziell als Landhilfsarbeiter untergebracht hat. Inoffiziell hatte ich ein Klavier und ein Akkordeon, und da konnten wir bei Hochzeiten aufspielen – man hat vergessen, dass man mitten im Krieg war.

He played some accordion at wedding festivities during the WWII time
https://oe1.orf.at/artikel/212200/Paul-Badura-Skoda
Die Überzeugung, dass er Musiker werden müsse, sei eng mit dem Krieg verbunden gewesen, nicht nur, weil er während seiner Landdienst-Zeit vor allem als Akkordeonspieler auf Bauernhochzeiten tätig war, sondern durch Konzerterfahrungen. Ich merkte in der Kriegszeit, dass in der Musik eine Kraft liegt, die Zerstörung überdauert, erinnerte er sich.

 

[Eddy Yates]

Thanks, Stephen!

 

[Zevy]

Here is a link to PBS playing Love Smiles by Pietro Frosini. For some reason it is titled Serenade Italienne. It is another example of his fine accordion playing. I use it for my personal wake-up alarm tone!

 

[Eddy Yates]

That’s just beautiful, Zevy! Thanks.
Wake up, indeed!

 

[Zevy]

Here are two more recordings of Paul Badura-Skoda on the accordion:
Der Eislaufer (The Ice Skater) 
Tarentella

 

[jozz]

in conclusion: excellent

 

[Zevy]

Is there a way to tell whether Mr. BS was playing PA or CBA?