A true fusion rather than a patchwork crossover, Metamorphose is a very fine ecumenical project carried by three excellent artists from the Montreal world/indie scene: Amir Amiri on santour, Shawn Mativetsky on tablas, and Sarah Pagé on harp. From the outset with Yaravan (which means companions), one is gently guided, but with a benevolent energy, through a sound universe iridescent with the particular timbres of each of the instruments present. Amiri’s santour (which can also be heard with the Constantinople ensemble, among others) joins Sarah Pagé’s harp (The Barr Brothers, Land of Kush,…) to create a melody with simple and appealing exotic contours, imbued with a touch of nostalgia. Mativetsky’s lively rhythms allow the delicate lines of the string instruments to take flight. One is immediately captivated.
INTERVIEW WITH AMIR AMIRI AND SARAH PAGÉ
The other four tracks on the album are of the same order, reaping the fruits of a fusion of Persian, instrumental pop, and Indian styles. The constructions, although they seem to be designed from the pop side of architecture, nevertheless manage to incorporate a certain complexity of Persian and Indian classical music through improvised episodes and some harmonic detours. Quarter Tone Suite is a beautiful example. A slow and long evolution leads us to an insistent and exciting finale of Hindustani, Persian, and minimalist resonances. At certain moments, one also thinks of the captivating universe of the American classical composer Alan Hovhaness, whom I love very much.
In Maktrismos, the West Asian landscape occasionally takes on rough textures (the prepared harp, modified, or some electro touches?) and repetitive dramatic passages. The final track, Pathos, is the one that most typically embodies a traditional character, with a narrative thread affirmatively led by Shawn Mativetsky’s tablas, in close symbiosis with Amiri and his instrument. Pathos is a tribute to Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, an Indian master of the santour. The rhythmic and melodic foundation is derived from one of the most iconic ragas of the North Indian musical tradition, Raag Charukeshi. Pagé’s harp seamlessly joins this music with very deep non-Western roots. It is a tribute to the Montreal artist’s musicality.
It should be noted that significant compromises and adjustments had to be made to the santour and the harp in order to create a coherent sound space. The santour has its own tuning system and the harp does not play microtones. Amiri and Pagé discuss it in the aforementioned interview.
Despite these technical differences, the complementarity of the instruments is remarkable. The ample and velvety resonance of the harp nestles pleasantly with the sharper tones of the santour, and the organic graininess of the tablas. The final result is a fluttering auditory caress endowed with an extra soul and artistic intelligence.
This is probably the first trio in history to merge these three instruments into a single coloristic and harmonic language. The experience is convincing. We hope it lasts a long time and that it offers us many live performances soon, and other beautiful creations of the kind in the not-too-distant future.
