Astrus Duo - Ascolta! (2022)

Manuel Teles and Paulo Amendoeira present their new work, Ascolta!, edited by MPMP. During the session, the Astrus Duo will interpret some of the pieces from this new album, among them, Fragmentos, interlude and song IV by Daniel Bernardes, Angel Rock by João Pedro Oliveira, Canção I – I Ascolta by João Quinteiro, Scenes from the City by Telmo Marques and Pattern by Paulo Jorge Ferreira, and the two performers will also facilitate an open conversation with the composers.

Manuel Teles and Paulo Amendoeira studied at Metropolitana, in Lisbon, having started their artistic collaboration in 2017.

At the end of 2018, in Reguengos de Monsaraz, the official debut concert of the initiative takes place, which assumes, for the first time, the name Astrus Duo. The good reception of the public, as well as the uniqueness of this training and the work developed is recognized, having been distinguished with the Young Musicians Award, the following year.

At first, it may seem unusual to combine, in the same album, the music of the composers present here. The exercise of discovering common elements and connections between these works, aesthetically so different, can be a difficult task. However, this unexpected meeting is also a reflection of the Astrus Duo's mission, as a chamber group always open to poring over contrasting artistic domains. Ascolta! seeks to be an exercise in active listening for the public: living in a world where, more and more, we are questioned by music that comes to us “without asking for permission”, this album encourages listeners to dedicate themselves to ascoltare (listening) more consciously. .