Elina Duni Matane

"Matanë Malit" (Beyond the mountain) marks the exquisite ECM debut by the Elina Duni Quartet. The recording pays homage to Albania and finds a singer looking at her roots from a contemporary vantage point as a musician engaged in improvisational processes. Duni explores the region’s troubled history, uncovering songs filled with beauty and power. These traditional masterpieces arranged by Duni, tell the stories of lovers, heroes, workers, shepherds and exiles. Each track focuses on the shape of the sound and the composition’s structure. Absolutely riveting!

On "Dallëndyshe" (The Swallow), her second ECM album, Elina Duni sings songs of love and exile. The troubled history of the Balkan regions has inspired many such songs and the pieces here, primarily from Albanian traditional sources, are interpreted with intensity and insight by Elina and her band.