ISLAMABAD: Austrian Ambassador Mrs Andrea Wicke and her spouse Mr Venzislav Wicke-Dermendjiev hosted a fusion concertat their residence. The event was attended by diplomats and Pakistanis who share a love of music, and enjoyed the beautiful arrangements in the garden.

Ambassador Wicke said: “It is with great honour and pleasure that I welcome you all at the fusion concert where jazz elements intertwine with the melodies of the timeless art of Sufi music.When I came here a year and a half ago I didn’t know what to expect. Pakistan is a country still less explored by my fellow citizens including myself. However, within a short time I found a very deep connection to this country and that was via its ancient history, its art and spirituality.”

She added: “As a professionally educated musician, I could immediately hook up to your traditional classical music as well as to the beautiful Sufi songs like qawallis and ghazals.Your traditional classical music as I have found it with its complicated system of different raags, is very elaborate and sophisticated, like our Western classical musical language and it needs an awful lot of time, practice and education to reach mastery.

“In the mystical tradition of sufism, music is revered as a sacred path towards the Divine, a vessel through which the human spirit can transcend the confines of the material world and unite with the eternal source of all existence.”

The performers were Essad Halilovic, a drummer, composer and educator from Austria, who leads the renowned Dusha Connection Jazz Trio on the drums, and Arieb Azhar the acclaimed Sufi musician, festival curator and producer, on the guitar and the vocals at the event. Akmal Qadri, the master flautist, was joined by his son, Muzammil Hussain, who has revived the Sarod, an almost lost instrument. Kashif Ali Dani from the Shaam Chaurasi musical gharana was on the tablas.

The performances included Pave to jaan, Sham i Qalandar, Saiful Mulook, Dance Me to the End of Love, Larh Lagiyan, Malkaus, Mast Mast, Emina, I Shall be Released, Husn e Haqiqi and Laal Meri Pat Rakhiyo Bhala.

Arieb Azhar dedicated a song, Dushman Mare TeKhushi Nah KariyeSajnan Vi Mar Jana, to Yasser Nomann, former Director of The Folklore Society of Pakistan, as he shared that Yasser had passed away.

Arieb said, “I met Esad Halilovic, the Austrian drummer, about a year ago when he was here for a project, Folk Heritage Life, and I discovered his roots are from Serbia and I spent many years in Croatia so we speak the same language. We immediately became friends and then he told me he is coming again this time and the Austrian Ambassador very kindly offered to curate this show tonight.”

Esad said, “It is my fourth time in Pakistan and I am really happy to be here and to play a concert with beautiful, great musicians from Pakistan – to make a kind of fusion music with Sufi qawalli and music from West Europe. It is very special for me to be here because we do not have this kind of music, so it is something new.”

The Austrian Ambassador organized the concert on the eve of International Women’s Day. Austria is participating in the EU Ambassador for a day initiative where a female student has been selected to be the Ambassador of each participating country on International Women’s Day. MahnoorSohail from Attock will undertake various diplomatic responsibilities, including meetings with international representatives, government officials, and civil society leaders, as the Austrian Ambassador for the day.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2024