Violist and composer Melia Watras on her new album ‘The almond tree duos’

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To gain our personal understanding of the world around us, we look for meaning and connection. Like images in a dream, inspiration comes from many places. My new album, The almond tree duos, owes much of its existence to its ties to literature, visual art and music. 

Comprised of 18 pieces for violin and viola, the work’s title references the symbol of forgiveness, hope and new beginnings in Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost. Wilde’s almond tree blooms surprisingly (it has been barren for 300 years) when the ghost is finally able to reach eternal peace through the aid of a pure, young soul, helping to bring about a better future for all. I composed the duos largely during the pandemic and the desire and ever present search for these ideals was particularly resonant. 

The work of my long-time friend and artistic colleague Michelle Smith-Lewis helped provide a space for visual/aural alchemy. Each piece in The almond tree duos is connected to a photograph by Michelle. In some cases, I composed based on her art; in others, Michelle created images from my music. Michelle’s photos can be seen throughout the album’s booklet, and in live performance they can be projected behind the musicians. 

Four Ten Media and choreographer/dancer Myssi Robinson provided another visual connection at a later stage in the process, after the composing and recording were completed. We first teamed together for a video to a movement of my solo violin work, Doppelgänger Dances, featured on Michael Jinsoo Lim’s solo violin album, Kinetic. We chose Amaranth from The almond tree duos as our next project. I am so taken with their stunning visual representation of these pieces. 

String duos provide an intimate pairing of two like-sounding instruments that are able to retain their distinctive voices. The legacy of the recordings of Sándor Végh and Alberto Lysy performing Béla Bartók’s 44 Duos for Two Violins is a touchstone. Luciano Berio’s deep and personal 34 Duetti per due violini are a revelation. Both of these collections influenced my composition. 

Rehearsing and performing duos has been a profound part of my life. From playing with my better half, husband and violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim, my beloved mentor Atar Arad, my wonderful students, my fellow violists (I’m remembering many joyful moments with Garth Knox), duos provide a focused setting for truly blending intonation, sounds, and exploring possibilities. Composing from this perspective, I strive to give a natural freedom to the performer. 

The almond tree duos, over the span of 18 pieces, uses all of the pitch centres of the chromatic scale (with one duo having no intended pitch centre). The collection houses two cycles: one a trio of songs with the pitch centre of E-flat (Nothing to prove, Vex and Perlucere), the other a quartet that examines the same material from different points of view (The almond tree, The almond tree 2-4). The pieces vary in style and sound: from the extended techniques of An orca, a nuthatch and a cat walk into a bar… to the simple melodic melancholy of Reflection, the bluesy Amaranth, and the ode to the metronome, Metro gnome. 

I envisioned the work being performed in different ways: as a complete set, as stand-alone pieces, programmed in different combinations with other duos from the collection, or placed next to duos of other composers. I hope to invite the performer into dialogue with curatorial freedom. 

As a composer and performer, I am immensely grateful to all of the amazing artists on this album. The three violinists that I play with: Tekla Cunningham (baroque), Rachel Lee Priday and Michael Jinsoo Lim are world-class. We’re so lucky to have their unique and talented voices in Seattle. I have been fortunate in my career to work with the legendary producer Judith Sherman. We’ve worked together on seven albums, including The almond tree duos. Whenever I record with Judy, I can rest easy, as she has ears and perception like no one else, and she brings out the very best in everyone.

The almond tree duos is out on 2 May 2025 on Planet M Records

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