Klaus Paier was a long-standing, isolated figure in the accordion world. Living in Carinthia, the Austrian has been exploring the sound accordion since its inception. He has tried to expand the boundaries of the instrument in terms of composition and technique – after all, he is still fascinated by the freedom and openness of music. The “Solitaire” double album is a perfect example of this work. Solo recordings are the first to be made without multi-track technology. This brings the “pure” Klaus Paier in focus. Paier’s melodic ingenuity, coupled with the typical Paier style of creating tension through pauses, achieves more dynamism than ever before on “Solitaire”. The range of sounds includes eulogistic pieces that have lows and highs as well as minimalistic miniatures. There are clear motifs that evoke birdsong and canon-like mountains of sound, and also musette variations. Also, there is a three-part, innovative interpretation of elements from Piazzolla’s Nuevo Tango. Klaus Paier is the only person who can create such a wide range of sounds and a total stylistic work of art in accordion music. A single work indeed from www.klauspaier.com
