Valse D'Amelie - Douglas Borsatti good interpretation

[Soulsaver]

Its probably a bit of a cliché by now, but I still love the challenge of this piece... and I still cant get the interlude to my own satisfaction.. partly because I cant find sheet music for the best solo accordion versions. Ive got the simplified (which hasnt got the interlude in it) and I can play the un-simplified version of it which is ok, but not as nice as the above.
Anyone find the sheets for a good accordion arrangement?

Or this one which is a pleasant enough, too... (Anna, one for the boys, for balance..)

 

[debra]

The first recording has about the right sound: no cassotto and a light tremolo. Unfortunately this player has poor bellows control. The second recording is done on an accordion with too much tremolo (too wet). Bellows control is a bit better but the beat from the left hand side can be heard in the long notes on the right hand side. It all shows that playing a seemingly simple song like that so that it sounds right (much like the original) is actually very hard.
People also often think that such french music requires very wet tuning and call very wet tuning french musette but in fact often a french musette sounds much better with (and professionals often also use) light tremolo, sometimes using MM and sometimes an MMH register. Very wet tuning is better known as Amsterdam tuning, not French.
An example of what I think is MMH with hardly any tremolo and still giving that French atmosphere is (also Sous le Ciel de Paris, but using what I would call Amsterdam tuning).

 

[Soulsaver]

Yes - It's surprising that a player as accomplished as he allows some very basic direction changes to impact on the performance. Nevertheless I wish I could play it that badly ...

 

[Pat S.]

Thanks for that analysis Paul. Never know what I'm going to learn when I follow a thread here.

 

[debra]

Look at Holzschuh Verlag. They have a book with parts from movie soundtracks and it has the Valse d'Amelie, arranged by Hanz Gunter Kölz (if I remember correctly).

 

[BakersfieldAccordion]

Heres a trio version that I found interesting. The group was playing this for a ballet class in New York.


Ive done two very different versions of the song, neither of which is intended to be final. I like the emotion expressed in the version above, and in my orchestrated soundcloud version (the second one below), but I prefer using the accordion as in the first soundcloud version. Still a work in progress for me, as I havent settled on anything at this stage, but since the discussion is centered on pros and cons of how to do the song, you may feel free to dissect what Ive done so far.
Accordion Version:
Orchestrated Version:

 

[donn]

I think this tune often comes off as a sort of exercise piece. It would be a big stretch for me, so I'm not looking down on anyone who can manage a clean performance, but ... maybe the tune itself isn't so rewarding on a musical level.

I have a hunch that the stronger styles of MMM musette tuning are found mainly in older accordions - that's what we heard from someone who used to hold forth here more - and statistically would tend to have fallen out of tune more. So it is with my Fratelli Crosio, but such an exuberant musette that a few notes out of tune here and there aren't worth worrying about.

 

[losthobos]

I always preferred th dynamics of the track La Noyee from the same album...a good exercise on how to develop a simple theme...