L’Accordéoniste is a tantalizing new recording of cabaret-inspired music from all over the world, featuring three local virtuoso musicians — mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber, pianist Peter Tiefenbach, and accordionist Mary-Lou Vetere, together with The New Berlin Ensemble: Julie Baumgartel, violin; Paul Pulford, cello; and Carol Bauman, percussion.

L’Accordéoniste’s eclectic arrangements evoke the smoky clubs of Berlin, the dance halls of Paris, the sunny shores of Naples, and the tango dens of Argentina. At the heart of each arrangement is the poignant, nostalgic quality of the accordion. The program includes the raunchy songs of Kurt Weill and his 1920s German cabaret contemporaries; the legendary Edith Piaf’s signature tunes La Vie en Rose, and the CD’s title track, L’Accordéoniste; and fresh takes on Italian sentimental favourites. Hypnotic dance rhythms like the tarantella, the tango and the habanera inspired several of the arrangements on L’Accordéoniste. Originally composed for bandoneon, Astor Piazzolla’s Fugata is a tango-inflected salute to the fugues of J.S. Bach. Lila Downs’ mesmerizing performance of the habanera Alcoba Azul in the film Frida inspired the full ensemble arrangement recorded for this CD. Viaggio Italiano is a thrilling tarantella medley that opens with a musical quotation from the Italian national anthem.

Kimberly Barber, Peter Tiefenbach, and Mary-Lou Vetere are known individually for their virtuosity and versatility. Together, their rhythmic energy and ability to improvise freely within these arrangements results in an expressive tour-de-force and a fresh take on classic songs from the early 20th century. Mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber has sung on some of the great opera house and concert stages of the world. Her career balances the standard repertoire with contemporary and baroque works with smaller, experimental companies. Her discography includes a solo recording of arias by Handel and Hasse (CBC Records), the title role in Handel's Rinaldo (Naxos Records) and Ravel's L'Heure espagnole with the LSO under André Previn (DGG).

Peter Tiefenbach enjoys an extraordinarily varied career as a performer, composer and teacher. He has collaborated with many of Canada’s leading singers including Maureen Forrester, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Brett Polegato, Sally Dibblee, Kimberly Barber, Russell Braun, and Donna Brown. He also appears frequently with duo-piano partner, Robert Kortgaard. With soprano-comedienne Mary Lou Fallis, he has co-written several shows which have toured throughout Canada, to the U.S., Japan, England and Iceland.

Mary-Lou Vetere has performed extensively in three performance areas: piano, accordion, and voice, and is completing her PhD in Historical Musicology. As a mezzo-soprano, she has appeared as soloist in oratorios, operas, and numerous recitals in North America and Europe including her New York City debut in 2001 as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Messe in C and the Chorale Fantasie with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Recent concert reviews for L’Accordéoniste:
An entranced and captivated crowd was transported to the impassioned streets of war-time Europe on Sunday afternoon at Central United Church in Barrie. Led through a series of charming, cabaret-style musical vignettes by the ensemble known as L’Accordéoniste, the audience was touched by the despair of a Germany betrayed by Hitler and both the comedy and desolation of love sought and love lost in Italy and France.
Soulful and heart-wrenching or quirky and heart-warming, the music was at all times poignant.
Nationalistic flavours were instantly recognizable and were brought forth in arrangements of the group's own making, each performer drawing on vast improvisational skills and immense knowledge of era and style.
This was a world-class performance. Bravo. (Marilyn Reesor, The Barrie Examiner, September 28, 2009)

3.5/4 stars for L’Accordéoniste CD
If you love Kurt Weill and his contemporaries, as well as Édith Piaf, check out this self-produced album by Toronto-and-area based pianist Peter Tiefenbach, accordionist Mary-Lou Vetere, violinist Julie Baumgartel, cellist Paul Pulford and percussionist Carol Bauman, collaborating with mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber. Here is the playfully caustic spirit of the late 19th-century salon and early 20th-century cabaret vividly and elegantly rendered in 17 tracks by people who clearly love the material. Instrumental pieces, such as Fugata, pulse with red-blooded zest for life. Barber adds a polished sheen to frothy little gems such as Weill's Berlin im Licht-Song, then turns around to apply dramatic force to Weill's tragic Sailor's Tango. (John Terauds, Toronto Star, July 28, 2009)