FASCINATED shoppers and music fans witnessed a unique musical performance in Huddersfield last night.

Dozens of music fans gathered in the historic Byram Arcade to see an experimental installation by a team of quickly assembled accordion players.

The half-hour long performance dubbed Big Squeeze, Long Stretch was part of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Directed by leading experimental composer Alvin Curran, the performance featured the accordionists positioned around the arcade playing a composition designed to mimic the sound of breathing.

The 10-strong band then moved to the second floor of the arcade for a choreographed movement to reflect the motion of waves.

Mr Curran, said he was very pleased with how the accordionists, young and old, had worked together.

He said: “I thought it was terrific considering this was almost an ad-hoc band of people who had never played together.

“Many of them had never played any contemporary music whatsoever and none of them had probably improvised in this way before.

“They all came together and suddenly found themselves in the cutting edge side of the world and I’m grateful to all of them.”

Mr Curran said the quirky idea had come to him after seeing a photo of a sculpted seating system installed as part of the exhibition at the new art gallery in the arcade.

The 71-year-old American, who has a long history of creating unique musical installations going back to the 1960s, said: “I use natural spaces, public spaces, private spaces in very special ways to really utilise the acoustic properties of unusual spaces.

“The Byram Arcade happens to be a wonderful one.

“It’s a great place for music.

“I’ve known the place from other times in Huddersfield and I’ve always wanted to use it.

“The sculpture in the gallery looked to me like an accordion and I said that gives me a clue what to do for this piece, just make a whole bunch of accordions.”