Diasporic Bridges, at Trinity St. Paul’s on Sunday afternoon, was the Amici Chamber Ensemble’s final concert of the season.  It celebrated the way that music binds emigrant communities together and provides a link to “home”.  Most, though not all, of the pieces performed were by composers of diverse styles and backgrounds living and working in Canada and the live music was preceded by an excerpt from Amici’s upcoming film on the same topic.  I’ll save writing about that until I’ve seen the whole thing.

The first two pieces were for strings.  For Ana Sokolovic’s Zanni (Serbian Tango) Amici’s David Hetherington (cello) was joined by Erika Raum and Tiffany Yeung on violins and Steven Dann on viola.  It’s an interesting and lively piece.  I didn’t get the tango element so much but there are clear Serbian folk influences, lots of dance rhythms and characteristic Sokolovic use of extended technique.  Gideon Klein’s String Trio, Variations on a Moravian folk song also shows folk influences but in a late Romantic idiom.  It commemorates a different kind of “migration” being one of the last works composed in Theresienstadt.  It was very nicely played by Hetherington and Raum with Barry Shiffman on viola.

The trio above were joined by Tiffany Yeung and Joaquin Valdepeñas on clarinet for Florence Price’s Adoration.  It’s a tuneful nocturne like piece originally written for organ but existing in countless other arrangements.  Next was Robertio Sierra’s haunting Échate a la mar y alcançalo.  It’s one of seven songs dealing with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain performed here by Rebecca Cuddy with string quartet.

Next was my favourite piece of the afternoon; Christos Hatzis’ Anaktoria.  The Amicis (Hetherington and Valdepeñas plus Serouj Kradjian on piano) were joined by Steven Dann and Rebecca Cuddy for this.  It’s a very lyrical piece (more so than anything else I’ve heard from this composer) that sets texts by Sappho in the original Greek.  It was beautifully played with some fine singing from Rebecca.  It was followed by Antoine Gerin-Lajoie’s Un Canadien errant; an elegy for the rebels of 1837, for solo piano.

Alexina Louie’s Tai Chi inspired Bringing the Tiger down from the Mountain II was next.  This was definitely more abrasively modern in idiom but very interesting.  From then on it was fast, furious and fun.  Paco de Lucia’s Flamenco piece Zyryab had Erika Raum and percussionist Haghmeth Farahmand joining the Amicis for some very lively playing.

The fun continued with two pieces arranged by Serouj.  Rondo alla Libanese was a riff on Mozart’s Rondo alla Turca imagining what might have happened if Wolfie had hooked up with Fairuz.  And finally there was a Bach/Villa Lobos mash up with most of the ensemble to date plus Rob MacDonald on guitar and Aline Morales singing and playing drums.

So, a very varied and satisfying afternoon with some serious moments and some fun along the way too.

I was hoping to have some photos of the show.  If I get them later I’ll add them.