( english)

Magda Mayas and Christine Abdelnour, both from lebanese origins, met for the first time in 2005 in Beirut at the "Iritjal" Festival.

Magda is a Berlin-based pianist and improvisor, holder of a PhD focusing on the real-time orchestration of timbre. She is teaching at Hochschule für Musik Luzern and responsible for the Improvisation subject area.

Christine is a France based saxophonist, who has developed a unique personal language on the saxophone, producing sounds that are close to electroacoustic music.

Both of them have done significant research on their respective instruments. They are essential figures of the current improvised music scene.

Since their first meeting and concert, they discovered a similar approach to sound and improvisation and have played as a duo in festivals all over Europe. Their music moves as one organism and engages the listener with a constant flow of ideas and colors build by their mutual understanding and listening.

They have released three cds : "“Teeming” released on a Swedish label in 2009 (Olof Bright) , "Myriad” on Unsound label in 2013 and "The setting sun is beautiful because of all it makes us lose" on the Norwegian SOFA label.

(french)

Magda Mayas et Christine Abdelnour, toutes deux d’origine libanaises, se sont rencontrées en 2005 à Beyrouth au festival "Iritjal".

Magda est une pianiste et improvisatrice basée à Berlin, titulaire d’un doctorat axé sur l'orchestration du timbre en temps réel. Elle enseigne à la Hochschule für Musik de Lucerne en Suisse  et responsable du domaine d’improvisation.

Christine est une saxophoniste basée en France. Elle a développé un langage personnel et unique au saxophone, ouvert à la micro-tonalité et aux techniques contemporaines. Son jeu singulier se caractérise par l'attirance vers des sonorités souvent proche de la musique électroacoustique.

Ces deux musiciennes ont effectué des recherches importantes sur leurs instruments respectifs et sont des figures essentielles de la scène musicale improvisée actuelle.

Leur musique se déplace comme un organisme et engage l'auditeur dans un flux constant d'idées et de couleurs construites par leur compréhension et leur écoute mutuelles.

Le duo s'est produit dans des festivals partout en Europe et a sorti trois CDs : "Teeming"  sur un label suédois en 2009, Olof Bright, "Myriad" sur le label Unsound en 2013 et " The setting sun is beautiful because of all it makes us lose"sur le label norvégien SOFA.

"Christine Abdelnour and Mayas have the sort of rapport that is necessary for music made on the fly to take wings. No matter how unusual each player’s sounds may be, they sound like just the right thing in each other’s presence."

Bill Meyer  - The Wire

“What we have here is a highly conscious, crafted sound of a duo that amounts to an impressive wholeness of a single entity. This is a very rare scenario when we discuss avant-garde improvised music played live (during the Meteo Festival in France). 

....After their first album Teeming, Myriad certainly reinforces the appetite for more recordings of this unusual duo that consists of a standing pianist and a sitting sax player.”

Fotis Kontomichos, the Soundprojector

"Both players manage to make their instruments sound like a refined combination acoustic and electronic sounds: hard to believe there are no electronic sounds here. Its a breathtaking fifty-five minute ride which leaves the listener not only highly impressed with a sheer, great variety of music, but also slightly exhausted of this roller coaster ride. Wow.“

Frans de Ward - Dusted Magazine

"Both play acoustic music that is diametral, a space they conquered by changing the traditional ways of their instruments: modern alchemy. Together they express a strong physical experience. Mayas is a master of sparse fragments of motion and Sehnaoui works in a flux of changing sounds, and Christine works in a flux of changing sounds. The multiple layers of their performance create a shivering moment of existence." 

Thomas Millroth