Richard Galliano performs Bach

When I saw this advertised in the iTunes store weeks ago, I buried my head, shook it from side to side, and thought: "Bach? Accordion? Really??" I gave several tracks a listen, and it was Bach on accordion, but... "No thanks," I thought, "I'll save my money." It was now a few weeks removed from this experience, and NPR had a story on All Things Considered which opened with the Swingle Singers performing Bach (had that), and we ended up with Mr. Galliano. I was intrigued. In fact, when the story began, I was so moved by the Bach and the description of the Swingle's clip that I began to cry. So, if I bought this album, and it was pathetic as I feared it might be, chalk it up to an emotional experience in the car. (Incidentally, I think the emotions hit because I suddenly had a compatriot in that commenter who realized what really special music Bach's was.) XS remarked at dinner that night about the story, and asked: "You have this new album, right?" "No... why?" "I kind of liked it. I'd like to listen to it." I often day dream that some day XS will wake up with a profound interest in "my music hobby," and suddenly be prepared to discuss (for hours) various musical interpretations, theories behind this work or that, and discussions regarding the profundity of a particular piece of music. This wasn't it, but it was as close as I was going to get, I figured. "Gimme a minute..." I had some technical difficulties that evening with my music server, but sooner than later, the Galliano was purchased, pushed to the server, and as I descended from the second floor, Bach concertos played on a small modern orchestra emerged, with with an accordion playing the solos. "Ah, this is it... nice..." was what I heard. After the table had been cleared, I took repose in our modest salon du musique, and took in the entire album. It was light, but not at all cliché. While Bach never knew the accordion, this guy knew how to play it, and he did so in such a way that he payed hommage to Bach. He was true to the music. And my first impressions were wrong, this was fun. Recommended.