I’ve been a regular at the Centre des musiciens du monde’s (CMM) Intimate Concerts series since the very first one last January. They’ve all been excellent, each time featuring top-quality artists who’ve settled in Montreal for its cultural vitality and, in the process, enriched it in an exceptional way, thanks to the traditional and refined sounds from Rwanda, Syria, Mongolia, Iran, Peru and so on. While I’m fairly familiar with all the artists featured (and to be featured) in the series so far, one exception was on stage last night: the vocal ensemble Sava, whose existence I didn’t even know about until quite recently. I was so taken with them that I had to tell you about it.
Sava is an all-female vocal quartet devoted to traditional Balkan polyphonic songs. For this concert, Sava covered some of the repertoire specifically from Croatia, with secular and religious songs. This performance, behind the altar of the Church of Saint-Enfant Jésus (in a very intimate setting), totally bowled me over. This was due not only to the surprise effect, but also to the exceptional vocal quality of the four performers, Antonia Branković, Dina Cindrić, Sara Rousseau and Sarah Albu (the latter also one of the most exciting recent voices in contemporary and avant-garde music in the city). In the perfect acoustics of the venue, the seductive rubbing of thirds, fourths and fifths of the four voices produced a soothing vibratory effect on the audience gathered, and on your humble reviewer, who was transported back in time and space, to an ancient and perfectly authentic Dalmatia.
I don’t know how often the ladies perform in concert, but they’d better go at it! And if you’re ever interested, you should know that the ensemble is a product of all kinds of music courses available at the CMM!
