Songbook 3/ El amor es Vida
“How can you express yourself in songs, when you don’t even speak the language?” This was the first reaction of everyone, when I floated my idea to record a complete CD of songs from Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, Brazil and Spain. “What do I care”, was my spontaneous answer. This might sound a bit superficial at first, but my love for those songs was so strong, that there was nothing that could deter me in my decision. I was going to do it! And, so I did! In times of Covid 19, I recorded the 12 songs in Mexico City with the legendary Los Macorinos – Miguel Peña and Juan Carlos Allende – the guitarists of the late incomparable singing legend CHAVELA VARGAS. I instantly became addicted to her since the moment I first heard her recordings. Her interpretations have been my Masterclass! The universal language of music simply takes us and guides us through the lyrics, so that we can understand and identify with each song and its story and make it our own. I am very grateful to my team, who supported me from the start with love and attention: Heberto Gabriel Guzmán Gómez, Los Macorinos, Arcadio Hernández Duarte, Germán Palomares Oviedo, Octavio Echavarri, Enrique Castillo-Pesado, José Luis Guzmán, Robert Guzmán, Maria Cortina, Miguel Peña JR., Alan Suárez, Hugo García Tapia, Katia Guzmán, Mariana Braun, Priscila Reyes, Liam Ó Brádaigh, Thanasis Gikas, Andrea Guzmán, Veronica Peña, Familia Cervantes, Hacienda San Cristóbal Calpulalpan and so many more.
For me this experience has been a story of reflection and love-LOVE IS LIFE!
Press release SONGBOOK 2 #discoveries
Five years have passed since SONGBOOK 1 was released. To be honest, I don’t have a clue how time was just able to pass me by that fast. Although, I did constantly have this little voice in my head reminding me, “Alexandra, go and start recording…” But I did not yet have a real concrete reason to do so. Why? Very simply, the songs were not there yet…not occupying my mind and soul. I have always believed that the songs meant to be sung by me, would find their way to reach me one way or another. And so they eventually did!
The last 5 years have been an incredible musical journey of DISCOVERIES for me. Extensive touring, meeting and greeting new audiences, making friends along my musical paths, discovering new cultures, their music and languages, from China to South America, the Middle East to my home country Greece, which, for the first time, I have been able to discover better by spending much more time in this beautiful country, at very tormented and controversial times. This album aims to rediscover the old, blend it with the new and create new stories without destroying the given beauty of the original songs. SONGBOOK 2 is all of that. A testimony of how far I can reach out to express myself and, hopefully, enrich my listener’s ears and souls. Alexandra
This album is dedicated to the ones I love most here on earth and in heaven, who made me what I am today.
Songbook 1/ On the Wings of Love…”
Frankfurt, 14. June 2013. The Greek-German mezzosoprano Alexandra Gravas has released her first personal CD with the title: “Songbook 1: On the Wings of Love…”. It is a collection of lovesongs which have marked the recent years of the singer’s life.
“I never looked for the songs, they all found me”, says Alexandra Gravas. Her Greek roots were also an important element in her song collection. There are eleven songs on the CD, some of which are traditional Greek (I love you because you are beautiful) or by the great Greek Mikis Theodorakis or timeless classics like “Autumn leaves”, “Summertime” or “The first time ever I saw your face”. During her concert tour of April 2012 in the USA her fans called her “The Mezzo of our Hearts”.
“I could not get a better compliment than that. The audience is the most important thing. When the people take my songs home with them, I know that I am on the right track”, says the singer.
She was asked many times by her fans when the songs from her recitals would be available on CD. Now their wish has come true. “ All the time the songs were in my head and my spirit. And now I took the decision finally to make a CD with songs that touch my heart and my soul whichever musical category they belong to: Jazz, classical, folk, crossover..” This is irrelevant to this singer. She no longer thinks any longer in those genres. She says of herself: “I am just a voice that sings.” To make her dream come true, she has created her own label CalypsoAtlas. In the future more Songbooks will follow.
