{"id":155316,"date":"2026-03-28T15:56:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T19:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/records\/mativetsky-amiri-page-metamorphose-album-review-critique-world-indie-montreal\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T15:58:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T19:58:25","slug":"mativetsky-amiri-page-metamorphose-album-review-critique-world-indie-montreal","status":"publish","type":"records","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/records\/mativetsky-amiri-page-metamorphose-album-review-critique-world-indie-montreal\/","title":{"rendered":"Mativetsky Amiri Pag\u00e9 – Metamorphose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A true fusion rather than a patchwork crossover, Metamorphose <\/em>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 Pag\u00e9 on harp. From the outset with Yaravan <\/em>(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 Pag\u00e9’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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTERVIEW WITH AMIR AMIRI AND SARAH PAG\u00c9<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Maktrismos<\/em>, 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<\/em>, 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 <\/em>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. Pag\u00e9’s harp seamlessly joins this music with very deep non-Western roots. It is a tribute to the Montreal artist\u2019s musicality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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