Musical recital: Ambassador leads from the front to mesmerise audience

The event was organised to celebrate 60 years of Pak-Japan diplomatic ties.

ISLAMABAD:

A musical recital to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Japan also turned into a celebration of friendship within the diplomatic community.

With the Turkish embassy providing the venue for over 150 people, four Japanese musicians – composer Kazuhisa Akita, violinist Mie Kobayashi, and pianists On Mitani and Yurikio Ito – took the stage alongside Japanese ambassador Hiroshi Oe, who is himself an award-winning pianist, for Tuesday’s concert.

This was the first such event since May, according to Midori Oe, who filled the role of Master of Ceremonies. After thanking the visiting musicians and Emel Hizlan, whose husband, Turkish Ambassador Babur Hizlan, is not in the country at the moment, the night began with a rendition of the national anthems of Japan and Pakistan, wonderfully performed on piano by Ambassador Oe.

After, the night began with the third movement of Mozart’s Sonata No 11, Alla Turca, before moving on to Beethoven’s Spring sonata and Chopin’s Minute Waltz.

Schumann’s Träumerei, and Kreisler’s Schon Rosmarin, were then performed, along with pieces by Monti and Sarasate, much to the audience’s delight.

However, two pieces truly stood out. One was visiting composer Akita’s own L’Homme qui marche fur Klaver, which was introduced with a poem explaining the haunting scenery the music helps depict, and the other was an instrumental piano rendition of a KK Anwar song made legendary by the late Noor Jehan, “Sun wanjli di meethri taan” (listen to the sweet flute melody).

Throughout the night, the pianists and Stradivarius-wielding Mie Kobayashi kept the audience spellbound with the intricacies of their performances, although, despite multiple warnings to turn off cell phones before the performances started, a ringing phone did interrupt one piece.

After the performances, the food on offer included a number of local favourites, and large trays of rolled sushi and tempura prawns.

Over dinner, a few audience members complained about the proximity of photographers to the back rows, as the camera noises were disrupting their listening experience, and a few others pointed out how photographers using flash were creating a distraction for the performers.

However, the performers managed to get through unaffected, and Junaid Sami Khan – the brother of acclaimed Pakistani musician and piano maestro Adnan Sami – was full of praise for the performers and the overall arrangement.

Spanish Ambassador Javier Carbajosa was also impressed with the “sensitive” performance, especially noting the uncanny ability of Japanese musicians to transcend geographic borders and make foreign music styles seem like their own. He underscored the performance as “just amazing”.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2012.