During the February 3-5, 2022 concert series, renowned accordionist Ksenija Sidorova will perform with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as part of the Delta Classical series. Praised as “revelatory” (New York Times) with “breathtaking virtuosity” (The Observer), Ksenija Sidorova is the leading ambassador for the classical accordion.

Both a unique and charismatic performer, Ksenija is passionate about showcasing the vast capabilities of the instrument. Her repertoire spans from Bach to Piazzolla, from Efrem Podgaits and Václav Trojan, to Erkki-Sven Tüür and George Bizet, as well as new accordion concertos composed especially for her, plus a multitude of chamber projects. Ksenija works with leading orchestras including NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, MDR Sinfonieorchester [Leipzig], Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Kammerorchester des Bayerischen Rudfunks, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchester-Zurich, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and prestigious conductors including Paavo Järvi, Thomas Hengelbrock, Vasily Petrenko, Kristjan Järvi, Michał Nesterowicz, and Jan Willem de Vriend.

Encouraged to take up the accordion by her grandmother steeped in the folk tradition of accordion playing, Ksenija started to play the instrument at age 6 under the guidance of Marija Gasele in her hometown of Riga. Her quest for more exposure to both classical and contemporary repertoire took her to London where she became a prizewinning undergraduate and postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music studying under Owen Murray. Ksenija will perform the work, “Aconcagua”, by Astor Piazzolla. Written in 1979, it quickly found its way into concert halls the world over. The publisher, Aldo Pagani, nicknamed it “Aconcagua” because, as he said, “this is the highest peak of Astor’s oeuvre and the highest [mountain peak] in South America is Aconcagua.”

Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992) was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. Astor Piazzolla was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1921 to Italian parents, Vicente Nonino Piazzolla and Asunta Manetti.

Astor Piazzolla spent most of his childhood with his family in New York City, where he was exposed to both jazz and the music of J. S. Bach at an early age. In 1950, he composed the soundtrack to the film Bólidos de Acero. In 1953 Piazzolla entered his Buenos Aires Symphony in a composition contest, and won a grant from the French government to study in Paris with the legendary French composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. Piazzolla returned from New York to Argentina in 1955, formed the Octeto Buenos Aires with Enrico Mario Francini and Hugo Baralis on violins, Atilio Stampone on piano, Leopoldo Federico as second bandoneon, Horacio Malvicino on electric guitar, José Bragato on cello, and Juan Vasallo on double bass to play tangos, and never looked back. In 1990, he suffered thrombosis in Paris, and died two years later in Buenos Aires.

Among his followers, his own protégé Marcelo Nisinman is the best known innovator of the tango music of the new millennium, while Pablo Ziegler, pianist with Piazzolla’s second quintet, has assumed the role of principal custodian of nuevo tango, extending the jazz influence in the style. In the summer of 1985 he appeared with his Quinteto Tango Nuevo at the Almeida Theatre in London for a week-long engagement. On September 6, 1987, his quintet gave a concert in New York’s Central Park, which was recorded and, in 1994, released in compact disc format as The Central Park Concert.

For tickets, please visit the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra website at https://www.aso.org.