Sovay is the new single from Dublin based trad duo Varo, which will appear on their upcoming debut self-titled album, due out on January 23rd, 2020.
This classic traditional song from Suffolk in England tells the tale of a woman who decides to test the love of her man by dressing as a highway robber and attacking him in a valley to try steal the ring she had given to him. Varo discovered the tune from a 1973 recording of Anne Briggs.
Varo are Lucie Azconaga and Consuelo Nerea Breschi, a fiddle and vocal duo based in Dublin who perform traditional Irish songs and tunes with arrangement influences from the baroque and classical traditions, weaving around the melodies with harmonies, drones and countermelody.
Lucie, from France, and Consuelo, from Italy, met in 2015 after moving to Dublin to pursue their love for Irish traditional music, and immediately started a fruitful collaboration. They travelled to Ireland along different musical paths, Lucie from jazz, classical music, and French folk, Consuelo from Irish trad, folk, and world music.
According to Lucie and Consuelo, “From the very beginning, we have been interested in songs told from a female point of view and became hooked on this particular song straight away. The woman telling the story is a very strong character, as opposed to stories in which the woman is presented as a powerless victim and is either betrayed or abandoned by a man, which is the case for most of the songs we’ve happened to come across.
“Aside from the actual story, the melody is beautiful and offers very interesting possibilities in terms of vocal harmonies. We’ve delved into the dark side of the song by using drones from a harmonium and a viola and creepy harmonics.”
Fortcoming shows include:
31.01.20 – Jim of the Mills, Thurles, Co. Tipperary
07.02.20 – Fennelly’s of Callan, Kilkenny
13.02.20 – The Sunflower, Belfast
14.02.20 – Keady Clachan, Limavady, Derry
21.02.20 – All Saints Heritage Centre, Clonbur, Galway
22.02.20 – Leacadona, Leitir Moir na Coille/ Lettermore, Galway
23.02.20 – The Black Gate, Galway
28.02.20 – The Sound House, Dublin
