Joanna Gemma Auguri is a Polish born musician, songwriter and actress. In the various stages of her musical solo and band projects, she incorporates influences from folk, ambient and avant-garde music.
After releasing her debut solo album in March 2021 on Lavender Music/Tracks United she has just released her critically acclaimed new album Hiraeth on June 28th 2024 on Duchess Box Records. The lone girl with the accordion was followed by a leap onto a wider screen.
The album title is “an untranslatable Welsh word for a place or something past that we have lost or that perhaps never existed,” per the artist. “It is homesickness, nostalgia and melancholy. I didn’t realise until after I’d finished recording that for me, the album is a longing for integrity and innocence in a world that’s out of balance. The concept of the album is the exploration of longing in all its forms. Hiraeth is a slow and ethereal body of work with an impressive range of extraordinary instruments. Despite the cinematic breadth of the music, the pieces retain an incredible intimacy. The comparison with voices like PJ Harvey and Beth Gibbons is close, but you also find yourself in the avant-garde spirit of Scott Walker and Nico.
Musically, we move through different landscapes. From sparse and intimate compositions to vast soundscapes. „All songs were composed with accordion and zither in the first place”, says Joanna. “And then we went into the Candy Bomber studio with different musicians and a choir and created this whole new universe.
I was supported by musicians such as Achim Färber (Tito & Tarantula, Automat, Philip Boa etc.), Yoyo Röhm (Ben Becker, Mick Harvey Band, The Bad Seeds) and Isabelle Klemt (Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop, Agnes Obel, The Notwist). I had the honour of conducting these wonderful musicians with the support of Ingo Krauss as sound engineer. It was a phantastic expierence to see this timeless sound unfold. For me, this album is home, comfort and sensuality. It is an attempt to keep what is good in this world, even though paradise seems lost.”
The song Last Dance is a collaboration with British musician and actress Keeley Forsyth, who will make a guest appearance at the release show.
Joanna Gemma Auguri will present her new record Hiraeth live with the full band line-up at the festive Kuppelhalle of silent green. The evening will be opened by Leipzig based violinist and composer Izabela Kałduńska (Gdańsk, PL) with her solo project The New Solarism.
Joanna Gemma Auguri Record Release Show
Tuesday, 3.9.2024
silent green | Gerichtstraße 35 in 13347 Berlin
