Everett Symphony concert gives tuba, accordion their due

Published 2:57 pm Thursday, May 29, 2008

This is not, we repeat, not, a concert just for nerds and geeks.

In a rare event, Everett Symphony Orchestra is showcasing two instruments, the accordion and the tuba, that often don’t get to play center on the stage. And the musicians behind these instruments are promising an uplifting and surprising concert filled with fiery tunes, enticing Brazilian and Italian rhythms and some soaring orchestral work that will make you feel like you’re aboard the starship Enterprise.

“People will have a good time because it’s very optimistic music and accessible,” said featured artist Murl Allen Sanders. “And if you’ve never been to a symphony concert before, it’s a nice way to ease into it.”

The symphony’s principal tuba player Kevin Pih seconds that.

“Most people think the tuba is ‘oompah.’ You don’t realize a lot of stuff you can do with a tuba and what a wonderful sound that comes out,” Pih said.

For its “Celestial Voyage” concert, Everett Symphony combines selections to create an out-of-this-world experience. The scores include the “Orb and Sceptre” (“Coronation March”) by Walton, Concerto for Tuba by Vaughan Williams, performed by Pih, and Accordion Concerto No. 1, composed by Sanders. The musical trip ends with “The Planets” by Holst.

The concert starts at 8 tonight at Everett Civic Auditorium.

Sanders described his accordion concerto, a work that premiered in Seattle in 2003, as part Brazilian tango and part tarantella, one of the most recognized of Italian music pieces popularized by pizzerias and restaurants.

Sanders called himself an eclectic musician. He’s been active in the music scene for more than 25 years with his goal being to introduce audiences to the accordion.

“There’s not a lot of contemporary music for the accordion, so I want to write contemporary music and make that accessible so that the music is challenging both for the orchestra and myself and appealing for the audience,” Sanders said.

Called one of the Northwest’s top jazz musicians, Sanders also plays pop, rock, zydeco, country, blues and various ethnic styles on piano and accordion. He has worked with artists such as Chuck Berry, Etta James, The Von Trapp Children and Leslie Gore. His music also can be heard on the soundtracks for films such as “Georgia Rule” and “Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants,” among others.

To get a taste of Sanders’ style before the concert, you can check out his Web site at www.murlallensanders.com.

“Interestingly, the accordion was one of the most popular instruments prior to the Beatles and Elvis, but it just fell out of favor,” said Sanders, who sports an impressive mane of hair. “My mission in my accordion life is to bring it back to prominence.”

Tubist Pih said he hopes tonight’s concert will at least show people that the tuba can certainly hold its own as a solo instrument.

Pih said composer Vaughan Williams wrote the Concerto for Tuba in his 80s but still had lots of juice in him. The concerto comprises a humorous and joyful first movement, a tuneful second movement and a fiery third movement.

“When the right sound is being put out and when you have a composer who is very intelligent and very knowledgeable about what the instrument is capable of, then you have a very good product and this is one of those products,” Pih said.

Pih, who grew up in Hong Kong, decided to concentrate on the tuba when he was 13. He was the principal tubist of the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra before coming to the United States in 1989. Having spent three years as principal for the Everett Symphony, Pih also is principal tubist for the Federal Way Symphony Orchestra, according to his bio.

Pih called the Williams’ concerto the standard today among tuba players.

“It’s still one of the best,” Pih said. “This piece will grow in you and take over your mind for months.”

Reporter Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424 or goffredo@heraldnet.com