2017 Recital for the San Diego Accordion Club

Henry performs for the San Diego Accordion Club.

April 9, 2016: Henry performed a solo recital for members and guests of the San Diego Accordion Club (also known as the Accordion Lover’s Society International), which was held at Bailey Hall at Mount Miguel Covenant Village, in Spring Valley, California. His program consisted of a dozen pieces: transcriptions of classical works and original works for the accordion which have become classics in the repertoire.

• Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5 (arranged by Anthony Galla-Rini)

• Franz Schubert: Ave Maria

• Pietro Frosini: Olive Blossoms

• Henry’s own Theme and Variation on Richard Rodgers’ “Edelweiss”

• Vittorio Monti: Czárdás

• Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion

• Guido Deiro: My Florence

• Guido Deiro: Deiro Rag

• Guido Deiro: Sharpshooter’s March

• Pietro Deiro: Celestina Polka

• Pietro Deiro: Quick Silver Novelette

• S. Di Falco (incorrectly attributed to Pietro Deiro): Giorni Belli (Beautiful Days)

At the conclusion of the 90-minute recital, Bob Warner, a member of the Steering Committee for Accordion Lovers Society International, awarded Henry with a “Certificate of Merit for Accordion Musicianship: Mastery of the Accordion.” Henry was surprised and delighted to receive the award. In retrospect, Henry said:

“It was great performing again for members and guests of ALSI, the accordion club in San Diego. It’s always a treat for me to perform for aficionados of the instrument who appreciate technique, musicianship, and especially the idiomatic repertoire for the accordion from the early twentieth century which I like to call ‘Vaudeville Accordion Classics.’ I was surprised and delighted to receive the ALSI Certificate of Merit for Accordion Musicianship: Mastery of the Accordion. While presenting the award, Bob Warner, a member of the ALSI Steering Committee, spoke a little about my work for the accordion during the last twenty-five years:

(1) researching and writing scholarly articles about the accordion and its history which were published by academic journals in the United States and abroad;

(2) my own books about accordion history, such as The Classical Squeezebox: A History of the Accordion in Classical Music, and my biography of Guido and Pietro Deiro: The Brothers Deiro and Their Accordions;

(3) my six CDs featuring the accordion;

(4) my dozens of solo recitals, and performances with dozens of symphony orchestras;

(5) the website I founded twenty years ago: The Classical Free-Reed, Inc.;

(6) my endeavors to resurrect the music by the great Vaudeville master of the accordion, Guido Deiro, including: my book, The Complete Works of Guido Deiro, published by Mel Bay, my double CD album, Vaudeville Accordion Classics, released by Bridge Records, and my CD booklet notes for the four-volume series, Guido Deiro: Complete Recorded Works, released by Archeophone Records;

(7) my recording work for Santorello Publications (ten volumes of music books/CDs for accordion).

This was the first time I received an honorary award for my work for the accordion. I am delighted and humbled to receive such an honor and I thank Gordon Kohl, the president of ALSI, and all the members of this wonderful society for inviting me to perform.”

To watch a 25-second video of Henry performing the ending of Pietro Deiro’s Quick Silver Novelette, click here.

Photos and video by Robert J. Dietsch.

After the final piece on the program, Henry was surprised and delighted to receive a Certificate of Merit for Accordion Musicianship: Mastery of the Accordion.

Certificate of Merit for Accordion Musicianship: Mastery of the Accordion.

Victoria Eriqat, the treasurer for Accordion Lovers Society International, served as cashier at Henry’s CD, DVD and book table.