Last month ​four international award-winning musicians convened only a few days ahead to ​participate in three ​”Corey Cerovsek & Friends” outstanding concerts (in San Francisco, Walnut Creek and Palo Alto) sponsored by Chamber Music San Francisco. ​The audiences were treated to a variety of quartet, duet and solo pieces performed by a combo with Corey Cerovsek (violin, Canada), Lucienne Renaudin Vary (trumpet, France), Félicien Brut​ (accordion, France), and Steven Vanhauwaert (piano​, Belgium).​

The program consisted mainly of a variety of French themed music and composers (Milhaud, Poulenc, Saint-Saens, Piaf, Debussy). The quartet’s final tune was Gershwin’s lively An American in Paris.

Photo courtesy of Chamber Music San Francisco

Félicien performed accordion tango standards (“Oblivion” by Piazzolla and “Tango Pour Claude” by Galliano) with grace and passion. (While in the audience I thought to myself, “This is the excitement that the audience may have felt while attending a Guido Deiro concert during the 1920’s.” Félicien and Lucien played an elegant jazz arrangement of “L’Hymne en Rose” (a.k.a. “Hymne a L’Amour” and “La Vie en Rose”).

The blending of accordion and trumpet was refreshing and delightful. The duo has played for several years. Although I have no post to share from the concert, here is a recording of the duo performing “Tonight” which leaves the listener wanting to hear more from this gifted pair.

Félicien​ Brut’s first US trip was in 2007 when he competed at Coupe Mondiale in Alexandria, VA. ​That year, France dominated the category for International Competition for Virtuoso Entertainment Music and Félicien​ placed in the top three. ​

During the televised 2024 Olympics opening Brut was the winged accordionist perched on a bridge across the Seine River playing Piaf’s “La Foule” right before the billowing plumes of red, white and blue smoke dramatically shot across the bridge. He now performs both as a soloist with major orchestras and as a central element of many chamber music ensembles.​

It was a thrill for SFAC member, Ron Borelli (renowned San Francisco Bay Area professional accordionist and pianist) and me to attend Félicien​’s​ concert and have a chance to meet him following his San Francisco concert at Herbst Hall.