There can be few musicians as talented and versatile as Derbyshire’s own Lizzie Ball. Her regular appearances at Peak Music are always eagerly awaited and her concert with Serbian accordionist Miloš Milivojević in the finale to the 2024/25 season did not disappoint. A thrilling programme including classical, folk, tango and even a hoe-down had a packed audience spellbound. With little music arranged for the combination of violin and accordion, many pieces were adapted by the duo themselves and the two instruments seemed made for each other.
The skill and musical inventiveness of the performers goes without saying. They are both stars in their own right, but even more striking is the way they convey their love for music and for performing. Their frequent shared smiles showed what fun they were having. Their rapport with the audience was equally evident, with Miloš even explaining a bit about accordion technique and how to count 7/8 time!
The pair’s technical ability was most evident in the faster pieces such as Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances, where one could imagine Gypsies dancing in a way that we in the audience probably couldn’t. But the technical skills never got in the way of the feeling. In the Don Rhapsody by Semyonov, Miloš’s fingers fluttered over his instrument like the river rippling over stones.
For all the musical pyrotechnics, the highlight of the set -judging by the audience reaction -was their version of Edith Piaf’s classic La Vie En Rose sung and played by Lizzie to aching effect with soulful accompaniment from the accordion. But the melancholy mood did not last long, being quickly dispelled by Copland’s Hoe-down Medley and the Irish Traditional Toss the Feathers, played with typical vigour and spirit. The Argentinian composer Astor Piazzola featured prominently in the set with fiery tangos and the more lyrical and haunting Ave Maria. His Libertango was the closing number, played with typical brilliance and passion. The audience stamped their feet, demanding more, and were rewarded by a dashing rendition of Csárdás – the perfect piece to send an audience away on cloud nine!
A performance to remember at the close of another outstanding Peak Music season.