Watras-TwoBeTwo from Leilehua Lanzilotti on Vimeo.
A quieting disposition resonates in the lilting melody of “to be two,” fluctuating connection points that bend with the gentle cadence. Violist Melia Watras, joined by Michael Jinsoo Lim on violin, embodies the magnetic spirit of Leilehua Lanzilotti’s piece. The shifting flows and choreographed movements between the two musicians find convergence and embrace, echoing each other’s path before parting into divergent tremolos and plucks.
Each passage is a reflection, a tender examination of where one point ends and another begins. Inspired by Luce lrigaray’s book of the same name, Lanzilotti imbues this music with messages from the text. ” I can be a bridge for you, as you can be one for me. This bridge can never become the property of either.” This weight holds “to be two” at the center, even as Watras and Lim explore separate horizons. All of this is heightened by Gahlord Dewald’s beautiful, subtle video, capturing the feeling stitched into each note through imagery that evokes timelessness and togetherness.
“two be two” appears on Watras’s upcoming album, Play/Write, which will be released by Planet M Records on February 23. It will be available to order via their site HERE.
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