 |
| COUNCIL: Gabriel Kahane & Pekka Kuusisto. |
Presented by
Musica Viva – Llewellyn Hall, Canberra, 15th August, 2024.
Reviewed by
BILL STEPHENS.
Even in the
vast Llewellyn Hall, watching and listening to a concert by Council (Pekka Kuusisto
& Gabriel Kahane) felt a little like being an invited guest sitting in a
music studio while two gifted friends tested and teased the possibilities of a
special collaboration.
Both are
skilled musicians from very different backgrounds. Finnish violinist, composer
and conductor Pekka Kuusisto is the Artistic Director of the Norwegian Chamber
Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Co-Director of the
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. American Gabriel Kahane is an accomplished
singer/songwriter and collaborator who has worked with many of America’s leading
arts institutions.
Both have a
passion for musical experimentation and this program is largely the result of
several writing retreats during which the duo developed this evening of
intimate and sonically varied songs and chamber music.
 |
| Gabriel Kahane |
Kahane immediately
established a feeling of informality by asking that the houselights be turned
up so that the duo could talk to the audience and see its response to their music,
explaining ‘music is a social act’.
Their
dialogue certainly had the appearance of being unrehearsed, as every so often
one or the other would be reduced to giggles by some spontaneous remark made
while describing an item. In
performance, each watched and listened to the other intently, often responding
with delight at some beautifully rendered passage, or perhaps some new musical
discovery.
There was nothing
unrehearsed about the music however. Each is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist.
Kuusisto favoured his Golden Period Stradivarius violin, (Why wouldn’t you? )
but swapping it, often mid-composition, for electric violin (for looping) often
contributing intriguing vocal embellishments and haunting whistling when not joining
Kahane with exquisite Simon and
Garfunkel style harmonies.
 |
| Pekka Kuusisto |
Kahane appeared most comfortable behind the keyboard of the grand piano or accompanying on the electric guitar, and taking turns sharing an unusual harmonium with Kuuisto.
The program
was delightfully varied in style and mood; mostly original compositions with
pithy titles like Blue, Tetris, Bright
Forms and Oh Cousin.
The program
began with a composition called Old Wounds
which commenced slowly with Kuusisto introducing looping effects, while Kahane seated
at the grand piano, sang the lyrics in his clear, sweet light baritone which
was superbly displayed later in a pretty song entitled Unicorn Glove.
Midway
through the program, Kuusisto gave his Stradivarius a work-out with a superb
rendition of the 3rd movement from J.S.Bach’s Violin Sonata in A
major, which they then contrasted with a fascinating composition Material in 2 keys by contemporary
American composer, Nico Muhly.
Two more
original compositions, Crawlspace and
At Zero demonstrated the duo’s mastery of sonic and
harmonic invention, before they then set toes tapping with a dazzling display
of traditional Irish folk music with a piece entitled Irish
Coffee.
An amusing
lecture by Kuusisto on how to ensure an encore, preceded two more of Council’s multi-faceted
original songs before they quietly exited the stage leaving their bemused
audience slightly hypnotised by the final fading looping notes of the last of
their multisonic creations - a soothing piece entitled appropriately, Lullaby.
As unexpectedly entertaining as it was musically rewarding, Council’s program and presentation was definitely one for the musically adventurous. As such it is likely to linger in the memory of those who experienced it long after those of many more conventional concerts have faded.
 |
| Council: Gabriel Kahane & Pekka Kuusisto in performance. Photos by James Grant. This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW, |
