Two Lives presents two idiosyncratic and prolific, masters of free improvisers – British vocal artist Phil Minton and Hungarian, Serbia-based violist Szilárd Mezei (who is also a double bass player), a generation younger than Minton – captured flying on beautiful, expressive heights, in two live sets during a short tour in Serbia in May 2022, at Kosztolányi Dezső Theater in Subotica and two days later at Ring Ring Festival in Belgrade. Two Lives is the first album that documents this unique collaboration. Mezi recorded, edited, mixed and mastered this album.

The two extended sets «Fourth» and «Sixth» offer 75 minutes of the art of the moment – spontaneous, direct, inspiring, imaginative, eccentric, emotional, dramatic and transient. Writer and critic Massimo Ricci (of touchingextremes.org) observed in his liner notes that the «unconstrained music systematically regenerates itself, utilizing every aspect and nuance of improvisational talent and, when required, relying on silence… this broad-minded vocal/viola combination seizes ephemeral instants out of nowhere in a stream of acoustic images whose poetics are self-explanatory».

Minton and Mezei converse in an intimate, cryptic and poetic language, playfully exchanging personal secrets, stories and experiences and enjoying their immediate, deep rapport as well as the flowing stream of ideas, including flirting with themes of folk songs. The first duet is more reserved and introspective while the second one is more extrovert and joyful. They explore their almost infinite connections to the intangible, and as Ricci reminds us, this is what sustains our very earthly animateness.

Eyal Hareuveni

Phil Minton (voice), Szilárd Mezei (viola)