East is East Infusion Baroque

• Giovanni Battista Vitali (1632 - 1692), Marco Uccellini (1603 - 1680): Uccellini:
• 1Vitali, Uccellini: La Bergamasca05:32
• Amir Amiri: Saghi Nameh:
• 2Amiri: Saghi Nameh05:09
• Marin Marais (1656 - 1728), Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741), Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713): La Folia:
• 3Marais, Vivaldi, Corelli: La Folia08:32
• Pandit Ravi Shankar (1920 - 2012), Traditional Hindustani: Deepa Jyoti / Sandhya Raga:
• 4Shankar, Hindustani: Deepa Jyoti / Sandhya Raga08:22
• Gieuseppe Tartini (1692 - 1770), Amir Amiri: Cortège:
• 5Tartini, Amiri: Cortège06:29
• Amir Amiri: Raghse Choobi:
• 6Amiri: Raghse Choobi02:30
• Johann Joseph Fux (1660 - 1741): Sinfonia a 3 in C Major, K.331:
• 7Fux: Sinfonia a 3 in C Major, K.331: I. Turcaria02:01
• 8Fux: Sinfonia a 3 in C Major, K.331: II. Passagallia - Andante02:36
• 9Fux: Sinfonia a 3 in C Major, K.331: III. Janitshara01:22
• 10Fux: Sinfonia a 3 in C Major, K.331: IV. Posta Turcica01:53
• Amir Amiri: Aghrab:
• 11Amiri: Aghrab04:35
• Hridayanath Mangeshkar (b. 1937): Suite in Raga Gurjari Todi:
• 12Mangeshkar: Suite in Raga Gurjari Todi: I. Savaro Nandana05:23
• Traditional Hindustani: Suite in Raga Gurjari Todi:
• 13Hindustani: Suite in Raga Gurjari Todi: II. Bhor Bhaye tori baat takat piya02:43
• Total Runtime57:07

Info for East is East

Introducing “East is East”, the latest album from Infusion Baroque. This fourth album from the Montreal-based ensemble is a fusion of Western Baroque, Persian and Indian music traditions. Featuring collaborators Amir Amiri, Hank Knox, Thibault Bertin-Maghit, Hamin Honari, Vidita Kanniks, and Shawn Mativetsky, the thirteen tracks see Western and Eastern musical traditions find common ground in transcultural music. In “Bergamasca” and “La Folia”, baroque composers are realized with Persian santur, tombak, and daf alongside the Western harpsicord, violin, cello, and recorder. Amiri’s compositions “Raghse Choobi” and “Aghrab” sees Persian folk melodies from Iran and Azerbaijan brought West, while “Saghi Nameh” and “Cortege” make use of Persian harmony alongside the textures of western counterpoint. Vidita Kanniks brings arrangements of traditional Hindustani melody in “Sandhya Raga”, with her own vocals dancing nimbly above Shawn Mativetsky’s Indian tabla and Baroque and Persian instrumentalists. With a title inspired by “The Ballad of East and West” by Rudyard Kipling, “East is East” is a collaboration that ignores the borders that divide us and finds the musical common ground that unites us from the farthest corners of the earth. Find “East is East” wherever you stream your music.

"Infusion Baroque has it all: brilliant virtuosity, musical integrity and a concert presence unlike any other.” (La Scena Musicale)

"This is real baroque ... gripping and full of character.” (Radio-Canada)

​“Their star is on the rise, and rightfully so.” (Early Music America)

Infusion Baroque
Guests:
Amir Amiri, santur
Vidita Kanniks, vocals
Thibault Bertin-Maghit, double bass
Hamin Honari, tombak & daf
Hank Knox, harpsichord
Shawn Mativetsky, tabla

Infusion Baroque
draws new audiences to early music through a truly captivating concert experience, deftly combining seasoned musicianship with theatrical elements. Playing music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on historical instruments, the four women of Infusion Baroque enthrall audiences across North America with their creative and interactive programming.

Winners of the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the 2014 Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition, their performances have been described as “dynamic and alive” (Early Music America) with “polish, energy, and finely-honed style… merrily breaking established traditions” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Infusion Baroque’s debut album, 1747: C.P.E. Bach, released in early 2017, has been described as “real baroque … gripping and full of character” (Radio-Canada).

The ensemble is known for the theatrical elements incorporated into their colourful performances. Who Killed Leclair?, an interactive murder mystery soirée, is based on the unsolved murder of the famous musician; Rebels and Rivalries is based on scandalous stories from the lives of great composers; and Son of a Bach! follows the diverging paths taken by members of the famous musical family. Past projects have included Music in Colour, featuring live painting by visual artist Sylvia Chan; and L’arte di Corelli, which combines Italian chamber music with projections of Baroque artworks.

Infusion Baroque regularly appears with major early music presenters across North America including the San Francisco Early Music Society, Early Music Now (Milwaukee), Columbus Early Music, Houston Early Music, and Indianapolis Early Music. Infusion Baroque also presents three original programs each year in Montreal, and has performed in the Montreal Baroque Festival and with the Montreal Arts Council on Tour.

Booklet for East is East