“Diaspora” is a reflection on the ways in which cultures evolve and interact, differentiating themselves from their shared origins, developing independently, and eventually reconnecting. This image of cultural identity is fluid and dynamic, involving continual struggles for individuation as peoples work to define themselves in relation to both their own heritage as well as to their neighbours. Like two peoples that have spent a long time developing without contact with one another, the flutist’s typical sonic repertoire bears little immediate resemblance to that of the percussionist; however, by disassembling the sonic materials of these instruments, the piece finds certain basic commonalities between them. The work develops through processes of disentanglement and re-entanglement, as the essential sonic elements evolve in different ways in the hands of the two performers, both of whom share and re-interpret their respective innovations. Although the piece touches upon certain idiomatic archetypes, both in terms of flute and percussion performance techniques as well as Eastern and Western musical concepts, these archetypes are quickly subverted as each part continues to re-invent itself and to interact with the other.
