Melia Watras

AVAILABLE ON MAY 2, 2025!

The almond tree duos

Planet M Records (2025)

Planet M Records presents The almond tree duos, the latest album by violist/composer Melia Watras. The almond tree duos is a work comprised of 18 pieces for violin and viola, with the title referencing the symbol of hope and new beginnings in Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost. Joined by violinists Tekla Cunningham, Rachel Lee Priday and Michael Jinsoo Lim, Watras displays her talents as a violist and as a composer with a finely-tuned ear for string-writing.

Tekla Cunningham, baroque violin (tracks 2, 5, 10, 13, 16) ● Rachel Lee Priday, violin (tracks 3, 6, 9, 11, 14) ● Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin (tracks 1, 4, 7, 8, 12, 15, 17, 18) ● Melia Watras, viola (all tracks)

Producer: Judith Sherman ●  Engineer: David Sabee ● Assistant engineer: Dave West ● Editing assistant: Jeanne Velonis ● Mastering: Judith Sherman and Jeanne Velonis

Melia Watras (b. 1969)
The almond tree duos for violin and viola (2019-2021)*
① The almond tree 1:57
② Dear Nightingale 4:07
③ Prism 4:01
④ Dahlia 4:02
⑤ 2.5° south (and a little west) 2:41
⑥ The almond tree 2 2:29
⑦ Metro gnome 2:03
⑧ Nothing to prove 1:59
⑨ Vex 1:49
⑩ Perlucere 2:33
⑪ The almond tree 3 1:21
⑫ An orca, a nuthatch and a cat walk into a bar... 4:55
⑬ Ancient memory 5:20
⑭ The cloud that touched the ground 3:28
⑮ Cirque à cordes 4:59    
⑯     The almond tree 4 2:09
⑰     Reflection 1:43
⑱     Amaranth 3:22  

*World premiere recording