flute/voice & guitar duo, Emily Andrews & Francisco Correa discuss improvisation & collaboration on their new disc of Stephen Goss’s music

Emily Andrews & Francisco Correa through the recording of From Honey to Ashes

Later this month, the Deux Elles label is issuing a two-disc set of music by composer Stephen Goss for flute and guitar carried out by the husband and spouse duo, guitarist Francisco Correa and flautist / mezzo-soprano Emily Andrews. In late 2024 I chatted to Stephen Goss concerning the triple album out, Landscape and Memory (additionally on Deux Elles) issued in celebration of Stephen’s sixtieth birthday [see my interview] and it seems that each Emily Andrews and Francisco Correa had been acting on that album. Francisco has additionally collaborated with Stephen a number of instances, together with performing Stephen’s guitar concerto in Colombia and Francisco’s first disc on Deux Elles, Winterbourne, featured Stephen’s Winterbourne Preludes.

The new disc, From Honey to Ashes, options Stephen’s music for flute and guitar, together with From Honey to Ashes from 2007, La Catedral Sumergida written in 2024 for the duo and Stephen’s Welsh Folksongs in preparations that date from throughout Stephen’s profession from 1988 to 2025; a complete of practically 90 minutes music in all. Both Emily and Francisco loved collaborating with Stephen on the disc, discovering he gave them nice flexibility to carry out. Yet the recording course of felt like a collaboration: they had been a trio, solely with one member (Stephen) not truly performing. Both Emily and Francisco commented that it was a enjoyable strategy to work and there’s a sense that every one three voices are heard on the disc, that of Stephen, Emily and Francisco.

Emily studied the flute on the Royal Academy of Music then afterwards took non-public singing classes, and now she sings greater than performs the flute. Originally she was a flautist who sang, however now she thinks of herself as a singer who performs the flute. The new album is comparatively uncommon for her now as on it, she primarily performs the flute. As effectively as their very own duo, Emily and Francisco even have a trio with guitarist David Massey, CarmenCo which has its give attention to voice and two guitars, although she does play the flute as effectively.

Stephen’s music contains a broad vary of influences from funk to rock to up to date to Django Reinhardt and one piece on the brand new album, First Milonga, Last Tango is straight impressed by Piazzolla. With many guitar-focused composers, and Francisco mentions Leo Brouwer, their music is well pigeonholed however Stephen’s vary is so broad. The new disc may be very diverse, the duo really feel that if listeners don’t love one piece then they’ll simply transfer on to a different totally different one.

The recording course of supplied them nice freedom as performers with Stephen more likely to say “yeah, you could do that or do it differently”. The folksongs had been meant to sound like folks music and important sections of the recording embrace improvisation, for example ‘Alba’ in From Honey to Ashes is written as a flute melody over guitar chords and Stephen gave them the liberty to document a model that repeats the music with Emily’s flute improvising over Francisco’s guitar chords. Whilst different items on the disc had been written very exactly, the duo felt it was good to be provided that flexibility with Stephen relating to the dots as only a information. Stephen was additionally the producer on the album, in order that after every take they’d his notes. But the place improvisation is worried, you can not actually lower between takes, you need to choose only one! This additionally means performances of the music by one other duo could be totally different once more, conserving the music enjoyable and recent. Stephen’s Welsh folksongs are carried out lots, so the duo’s free method was appreciated and in them Emily performs flute, alto flute and, in a single, violin (with a purpose to get a rougher sound).

As a guitarist himself, Stephen is aware of the guitar effectively. Francisco sees Stephen’s music as well-written, however it may be difficult, particularly if Stephen is searching for a specific impact. But the music is all the time effectively definitely worth the effort, it is sensible.  And Francisco factors out {that a} composer like Joaquim Rodrigo didn’t know the guitar very effectively in order that his Concierto de Aranjuez wants modifying. Francisco estimates that Stephen’s music requires taking part in of Grade 9+, even the items that sound easy. On Francisco’s first solo album on Deux Elles he performed Stephen’s Winterbourne Preludes which had been commissioned from Stephen to be music playable by good amateurs and most are (besides for 3, Francisco estimates).

Coming up, Emily and Francisco have numerous work with their trio, CarmenCo, notably performances of A Pocket Opera which rewrites Bizet’s Carmen in an irreverent means mixing live performance, theatre and comedy. This is a programme they’ve carried out over 50 instances, and so they have bookings into 2028. In the autumn the trio is presenting a brand new programme, My, my, my Delilah which reworks Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalilah for threesome, from Dalilah’s perspective. 

As a duo, Emily and Francisco have a brand new programme, Land of a thousand rhythms, about all of the totally different rhythms in songs and dances from South America, and on this programme which have even managed to slide in a few of Stephen’s Welsh folksongs! (After our chat is over, it strikes me as being fairly apt given the robust Welsh presence in Patagonia). The new album is being launched at a live performance in Guildford on 28 March when they are going to be performing music from the disc alongside South American music together with items from Land of a thousand rhythms. Also wanting forward, the duo has a colleges venture primarily based on music about birds from totally different angles.

Emily and Francisco additionally run their very own pageant, Ham Farm Festival which returns from 24 to 26 July 2026 for its sixth 12 months. For the pageant they open up their backyard and over three days current double payments ever night, with music from classical, jazz, cabaret, folks and extra, then through the daytime there are neighborhood occasions and workshops.

From Honey to Ashes: Music by Stephen Goss – Emily Andrews, Francisco Correa – Deux Elles [link tree]