The album title is a noun denoting an almond shape created by two overlapping circles to represent a commonality between two entities. The two entities in question are Canadian duo Pierre Schryer on violin and Adam Dobres on acoustic guitar. Each has followed successful careers with other artists before coming together to share their talents on this ten track instrumental album.
‘Mandorla’ is a collection featuring lively and lyrical arrangements of traditional polkas, jigs, reels and waltzes. These often blend two or three toe-tapping tunes into one seamless whole. The diversity of styles originate from their home country but are also drawn from around the world with musical stop-offs in North Africa, Scotland, Ireland, America and Brazil.
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The two contribute their own pieces too. Lapp’s House of Music by Schryer is dedicated to a master fiddle teacher from British Columbia and Freda’s Journey composed by Dobres as a tribute to his great grandmother who settled in Canada as an orphan after travelling from Russia at the age of fourteen.
They don’t set out to re-invent the wheel but the technical mastery is undeniable and the record’s Celtic connections lend it an obvious appeal to lovers of expertly crafted traditional folk music.
Shryer & Dobres’ website
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