OktoEcho – Saimaniq Sivumut

In Montreal, the OktoEcho ensemble, led by composer Katia Makdissi-Warren, brings together the musical worlds of the First Nations and the Inuit, the Arab world and classical and contemporary art music in an original artistic proposal. Saimaniq Sivumut, which means Peace towards the Future in Inuktitut, is the group’s new opus.

Saimaniq Sivumut follows on from the album Saimaniq released in 2018 and is a kind of extrapolation and enhancement of it. The same premises underpin the opus, namely the Inuit throat singing that serves as a holistic binder from which all sorts of astonishing juxtapositions are projected (from traditional Quebec singing called ‘’turlute’’ to bagpipes, traditional Japanese and Persian flutes, electronic sounds, Arabic polyrhythms, classical cello, etc.).

Highlights include Ila, in which the aforementioned turlute accompanies throat singing, traditional native songs and traditional flutes; Crépuscule, a nocturnal panorama of seductive urban and ambient colours, seasoned with an evocative Persian ney and cinematic strings; Opale, a lovely introspective pause where the solo cello duets with experimental throat singing to transport us into a strange but soothing intimate space.

I liked Transcestral, the previous album (situated between the two Saimaniq). While recognising the qualities of Saimaniq, its humanist ecumenism and the wealth of ideas that run through it, Transcestral remains my benchmark in terms of optimal musical fusion in the OktoEcho catalogue. Saimaniq Sivumut seems less finely woven, and the many drastic changes of atmosphere throughout the pieces leave the impression that the whole is sometimes disjointed. At times it feels like the soundtrack to an imaginary film, lacking the snippets of script that would allow us to fully appreciate the work as a whole, and to effectively link all the pieces together.

In this sense, the stage performance perhaps has the effect of creating the necessary emulsion thanks to the addition of visual elements. I missed the show on 7 August 2024 at the First Peoples Festival, so I can’t comment on this aspect. But if, like me, you want to know for sure, you’d do well to come along to Bourgie Hall on 6 November 2024 for the album launch concert.

DETAILS AND TICKETS FOR THE SAIMANIQ SIVUMUT LAUNCH CONCERT AT SALLE BOURGIE