ISLAMABAD: It was almost a full house at the Pakistan National Council of Arts on Thursday for a performance by Paul Schuberth and Christopher Haritzer to celebrate Austrian National Day.

The event was organised by the Austrian embassy, and Ambassador Dr Brigitta Blaha welcomed guests by introducing the performers.

“We have invited a young duo to celebrate the Austrian National Day. Paul Schuberth, one of Austria’s leading accordion players, was born in 1994 in Steyr. Since 2007 he has performed across Europe, Asia and Africa and recorded a dozen CDs. He is an active member of the Austrian Jazz scene and a free improviser. Paul comes from a part of Austria that is renowned for a dense network of music schools.”

Introducing Christopher Haritzer, she said: “He was born in 1987 in Lienz and has studied woodwind music, jazz clarinet and traditional Austrian folk music. A member of several bands and the Viennese free theatre collective, Christopher comes from a province in Austria where people are naturally musical and have golden voices.”

The two musicians have performed together in various projects, and their collective work includes large band productions and jazz and dance theatre performances.

Mr Haritzer also drew cheers from the audience when he managed to introduce himself and Mr Schuberth in Urdu.

The first track they played was a traditional Austrian song about love, followed by a piece by Mr Haritzer on the same subject but with a melancholy ending.

The duo performed popular pieces and their own compositions, and was clearly inspired by jazz, international folk music and the avant-garde. Mr Schuberth elicited classical and world music tones from his accordion, while Mr Haritzer’s melodious clarinet oscillated between Latin rhythms and almost Arabian excerpts.

Another song drew from the lives of roving musicians. Mr Haritzer explained: “The song is about going on the road and experiencing life and meeting many new people.”

Mr Schuberth’s piece Pomanade, meanwhile, was about silly things and had a segment where Mr Haritzer sounded like a set of cartoon characters squabbling despite no words being said, showing the fascinating range of sounds the duo could elicit from their instruments.

The give and take between the two performers gave the entire performance a sense of jazz-improvisation-meets-world-music-diversity, as their clarity of sound and experimentation resulted in sudden changes in style.

Munir Ahmed, in the audience said it was interesting to experience the variet of performers and artists who visit Islamabad. “The music was unusual for Pakistani ears but entertaining nonetheless. The convenience and facilities of the Pakistan National Council Arts also contributed to the experience.”

Another audience member, Asim Khan, said: “I especially liked the pieces that sounded like electronic music. That is the sort of music I listen to and I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it on a clarinet-accordion combination.”

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2017