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Why not more famous?

I appreciate the introduction to Harry Mooten, a remarkable accordionist. I'm currently practicing a piece he recorded, Chopin's Prelude, Op. 28, No. 6. His performance on the accordion is unparalleled, the best I've encountered. Why isn't this piece more widely played on accordion? It suits the instrument so well. The free bass accordion has a plaintive quality that is quite different from all other instruments.

Here's Mr Mooten's rendition:​


Well, because it is kind of exceptional in this regard: Chopin is a quintessential composer for piano, relying to a good degree on its percussive qualities and differentiable attack strengths for structuring rhythmically and harmonically complex material. This prelude here works because there is a melody in the bass hand (where particularly a piano requires a lower density of notes than the usually more prominent treble parts could easily support) and a straightforward chord part in the treble that relies on the natural decay of the slow high notes to keep that side in the background. The accordion does not do this quite in style, but registration can keep the treble down, and Mooten does an excellent job of interrupting the chords so regularly on a single moment that the kind of structure this provides on the piano carries over well.

The problem with giving people one Chopin is that they then ask for another. In particular if what you gave them was a prelude. To what? On a different note, the prelude #1 from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier is probably played more than 10 times more often in reality than the fugue #1 that it is the prelude to.

So you won't be seeing a "complete works of Chopin on accordion" anytime soon while there are at least some impressive complete renderings of the Well-Tempered Clavier (which does not rely on the specifics of the pianoforte and its dynamic-supporting hammer mechanics that was just starting to appear in Bach's lifetime).
 
In particular if what you gave them was a prelude. To what?

Well... Prelude No. 6 is one of the 24 stand-alone preludes in Chopin's collection of preludes, Op. 28. Each piece isn't an introduction to anything else... except more preludes. :unsure: :ROFLMAO:

I like the poetic style in No 4, No 6 and No 15. There are a few nice recordings on YouTube.

Here's Prelude No. 4. from collection Op.28:



A more contrasting style is seen in the likes of No. 20.

I guess people just mix and match what suits them and the instrument. Here's Nikolay Bine:

 
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