Duo Amaris - Tell Them (2024) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Works by Béla Bartók, Johannes Brahms, Federico García Lorca and João Luiz.

Sometimes intimate, sometimes humorous or deeply moving - on her new digital album, soprano Julia Spies hits the right note at every moment. With her bright, bell-clear voice, she brings little stories to life in collaboration with guitarist Jesse Flowers. Images of the past intertwine with the present, connecting generations of different times through their melodies. As Duo Amaris, the two young musicians conquer the concert halls by reviving the old tradition of "songs for the lute".

The centerpiece is the song cycle "Tell them" (2023) by the Brazilian composer João Luiz, written especially for Duo Amaris, based on texts by the Marshallese poet and climate activist Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner. Themes such as cultural affiliation, home (or loss of it), modern womanhood and the passing on of traditions enter into dialogue with the folk song traditions of the 19th and 20th centuries.

»Du mein einzig Licht«, »Gar lieblich hat sich gesellet« and »Es war ein Margrave überm Rhein« by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) can be heard; selected Hungarian folk songs by Béla Bartók (1881-1945); the folk songs of Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) and the old Spanish songs of Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) can be heard in arrangements by Jesse Flowers.

Duo Amaris convinces its audience “with great virtuosity and perfect interpretation” (Salzgitter-Zeitung) and together gives depth to the timeless simplicity of their ensemble. Jesse Flowers' rich palette of guitar colors, coupled with Julia Spies' remarkably clear diction and the pure expressiveness of her timbre, enables them to bring to life stories that span centuries, from songs by John Dowland to compositions written especially for them.

Spies and Flowers, both recognized soloists in their fields, met at the 2016 German Music Competition. They then formed the duo Amaris, gave almost 20 concerts as part of the 61st Federal Selection of Young Artists Concerts, which were praised by audiences and critics alike, and have performed regularly as a permanent duo ever since.

In April 2020, the duo Amaris released their debut CD »Nachtstücke« and received much critical acclaim: »Julia Spies and Jesse Flowers form the ideal storytelling duo, in which intimacy and passion alternate with a great sense of atmosphere and in which the sometimes thin dividing lines between the strict art song and intuitive freedom practically disappear.« (Opus Klassiek).

Tracklist:
01. Bartók- Elindultam szép hazámbul
02. Bartók- Ucca, ucca, ég az ucca
03. Bartók- Szánt a babám
04. Brahms- Du mein einzig Licht
05. Brahms- Gar lieblich hat sich gesellet
06. Brahms- Es war ein Markgraf überm Rhein
07. Luiz- I. Basket
08. Luiz- II. Lōktan̄ūr
09. Luiz- III. Far away over the ocean
10. Lorca- Nana de Sevilla
11. Lorca- Las Morillas de Jaén


Thanks to the Original customer!