Sarah Davachi Tunes In and Turns In
In the realm of contemporary music, terms like “consort” often feel like relics from another age, perhaps whispered only in the halls of Ren Faire. Yet, beneath this historical veneer lies a profound musical concept: a group of related instruments played in perfect harmony. This is the foundation upon which Canadian composer Sarah Davachi builds her captivating sonic world.
Davachi has spent her career delving into the very mechanics and effects of harmony, meticulously examining how tones interact, transform, and stack up. This theoretical approach informs her practice, pushing boundaries and revealing new dimensions in how sound is perceived and shaped.
For one of her recent expansive efforts, Davachi collaborates with Phaedrus, an early music flute consort composed of three tenors and a bass, all modeled after 16th-century instruments. This group resonates deeply with her own investigative spirit, allowing her to explore the inherent beauty of interwoven sound.
Her massive yet agile new album, The Will of Tongues, is a testament to this exploration. Tracks like “Interlude V: Harmonic, for Woodwinds” possess a delicate, lilting quality, where the lunar timbres of the flute consort bathe Davachi’s sustained, overlapping notes in a flickering, ethereal glow. While the work is rooted in rigorous study, these extended ruminations—some approaching ten minutes long—possess a devotional steadiness that speaks volumes about the power of careful structure.
Yet, the pieces defy static description. The purified drones and distilled frequencies found within Tongues”>The Will of Tongues also carry an inherent mutability, always existing on the cusp of imminent change, even as they persist in their current form. This tension between stability and evolution defines the emotional landscape of her music.
Davachi’s explorations extend across the instrumentation of her work. On the album Tongues”>Tongues, she presents a chain of compositions that link together in mystically consistent ways. This includes “Interlude II: Unison, for Brass” and “Interlude I: Polyphonic, for Strings.” These pieces feature various groupings, including cellist Lucy Railton, violists like Whitney Johnson and Eyvind Kang, alongside the microtonal brass group Diapason. Each composition functions as a link in a chain, using the physical properties of sound to map out an inner emotional space.
Beyond the consort works, the full scope of Tongues”>Tongues encompasses a diverse array of compositions. There are works like “The First Tuning” and “The Second Tuning” for solo pipe organ, drawing on a recent renaissance of pipe organ music. She also offers vocal works, such as “Songs of the Smile’s,” sung with luminous precision by Chamber Choir Ireland, and the centerpiece “The Rose Dialogues,” a brooding study for string trio, organ, and tape.
When listeners engage with these varied compositions, a fascinating pattern emerges. These grounded hymns and metaphysical exercises align and echo one another, forging unexpected connections and uncovering secret symmetries across the musical landscape. In Sarah Davachi’s world, where sound is treated as a physical map, consorts abound, revealing a rich, interconnected universe of harmony.
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