João Barradas

Brief information

The Space Within – or: What if Mozart had written a concerto for accordion and orchestra? On his new album released by Artway Next (27 March 2026), João Barradas brings this question to life and at the same time draws a line to the present: In collaboration with Toshio Hosokawa’s Voyage IV – Extasis, a musical journey unfolds from classical tradition to contemporary sound art. The recording is being released 240 years after the premiere of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in March 1786 – an echo between past and present.

João Barradas moves with great ease between demanding contemporary works, his own transcriptions of classical compositions and free improvisation. He combines virtuosity with a deep understanding of music and opens up new perspectives on the tonal diversity of the accordion. From this pool of artistic possibilities arose the ambitious idea of transcribing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 for accordion and orchestra. The work demands not only virtuoso technical skill from the soloist, but also an intense dialogue with the orchestra and a sensitive interplay between styles.

Complementing Mozart is Toshio Hosokawa’s Voyage IV – Extasis, a work written especially for accordion and orchestra. With rare sensuality, it evokes the sound of the traditional Japanese mouth organ, the shō. While João Barradas transforms the vertical piano tone in Mozart’s concerto into a horizontal, vocal sound, in Hosokawa’s work he unfolds the accordion’s breath arcs into vast, inner soundscapes, thus completing the musical journey from classical music to the present.

Recorded in the inspiring atmosphere of Hamburg’s Kulturkirche Altona, The Space Within captures the extraordinary encounter between accordionist João Barradas and the Symphoniker Hamburg conducted by Sylvain Cambreling.

The Space Within will be released on 27 March 2026 on the Artway Next label and will then be available on all major streaming platforms.