Duo AN-tifon
Concerts:
Madrid (Spain), Edinburgh (Scottland), Yakarta (Indonesia), Manchester (Great Britain),
Segovia (Spain), London (Great Britain), Istanbul (Turkey),
"One plus one make three" (Chinese proverb)
Accordionist Angel Luis Castaño and pianist Ananda Sukarlan has long been soloists with high reputation of their own. Louis Andriessen has written about Ananda Sukarlan : "... An exceptionally gifted pianist, he combines musicality with a very intelligent and sharp insight in both the music and the playing." And Jesus Torres , whose unequalled " Itzal " was written with the collaboration with, and dedicated to Angel Luis Castaño, wrote "The multifaceted possibilities of the instrument was introduced to me for the first time by this extraordinary accordionist. Extraordinary for many things : his extreme sensitivity, bewildering technique and intelligence in choosing the repertory, which made him a complete artist capable in deep understanding of the essence of each piece and most important, mastery in communicating it to the public." Angel Luis Castaño is also the dedicatee of practically all the best pieces for accordion solo by the Spanish composers Cesar Camarero , Gonzalo de Olavide, Carlos Peron, Jesus tueda, Tomas Marco, etc.
Now, they team up as the electrifying duo AN-Tifon , and build a repertory of their own. A repertory which no man has done before for this exciting, rich and strange sound of accordion and piano. An-Tifon specializes in playing music with antiphonal techniques, sometimes so intricate and virtuosic that they sound like a vertiginous typhoon ; hence the name : An(anda and (An)gel)- ..... Tifon ! Just check out these impressive pieces written for An-Tifon by the most exciting and original Spanish composers :
Diario , by David del Puerto (publ. by Trito) 11'
In the Darkness -- contrastes para piano y acordeon, by Polo Vallejo 7'
Suite ENRON : Money Dances by Javier Arias Bal
Dialogos by Carlos Peron 7'
.......
Angel Luis Castaño is the director of the accordion department in Zaragoza Conservatory, the center in Spain for higher education in accordion. He has single-handedly brought the accordion to a higher reputation of "serious" instrument in Spain, not only in collaborating with composers in writing extraordinary pieces providing them deep understanding of the instrument, but also promoting the music and guiding the younger accordionists in performing them. Castaño spent years abroad (France and Denmark) in perfecting his technique and musicianship with great accordionists such as Max Bonnay and Mogens Ellegaard. His Web Site: www.alcastano.com
Ananda Sukarlan is a great pianist and a great guy… if you want to know more about him, check out www.anandasukarlan.com
Wanna contact AN-Tifon ? Just open hailing frequency ; their communication channel is .... an_tifon@yahoo.es .
Working together with musicians such as Angel Luis Castaño and Ananda Sukarlan is one of the most stimulating experiences a composer can have, and I have had this good luck : their playing of my "Diario" -- a virtuosic, difficult work demanding high technique and musicianship, is dazzling from all points of view. The absolute rhythmic precision, their rigorous work up to the minute details, and above all these impeccable qualities, the musicianship which was born from the complete understanding of the work, put this duo in the absolute forefront in the world of chamber music of today. (David del Puerto, whose "Diario" are championed by An-Tifon in their worldwide tour since the bewildering success of its premiere in Madrid earlier in 2003)