Monday 12 August 2024

City Recital Hall

Council: Pekka Kuusisto & Gabriel Kahane

Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday)

Council is the musical duo of Pekka Kuusisto & Gabriel Kahane. Their song-writing is original but somehow assuringly familiar and the songs are interspersed with classical music both old and ultra-modern. The overall effect is a pastiche of momentary impressions, emotive phrases and comforting melodies. If what I heard was visual art, I would liken it to the impressionist paintings of say Monet or Van Gogh.

Pekka Kuusisto is a classical violinist, conductor and composer. He is a highly sort after soloist with orchestras around the world and is a regular visitor to Australia. Gabriel Kahane is a classically trained pianist but is better known as a singer-songwriter having worked with many household names in the American recording industry. What they have in common is a need to break free of genre boundaries and push the limits through diverse and challenging collaborations.

When they were introduced to each other by a concert promoter they knew they shared a common musical ideology and that they had to work together. After many years of writing and performing they formed Council and are currently working on their debut release. This concert featured many songs from the upcoming album.

The songs we heard were immediately accessible with a melody shape that was familiar if not a bit predictable after a few tunes. The lyrics are intimate moments of family life, with a few more biting moments touching on war and conflict. Kahane’s voice has a soft mellifluous timbre that is pleasant on the ear – both vulnerable and tender. Likewise Kuusisto who provided harmony and sang solo as well, but with a less assured vocal quality. Voice is his second instrument after all and where he shone was on the violin, both acoustic and electric. The pick of the night was the recently released single Bright Forms.

Electronic soundscapes interwove a lot of the concert, with Kuusisto manipulating and looping his electric violin to create at times eery and often raucous atmospheres. This was contrasted with the pedal operated harmonium which has a soft sweet organ sound. Both artists played this instrument as well as Kahane’s piano and electric guitar. The sound world was constantly changing and engaging our ears.

It really was a genre-crossing concert, going from JS Bach to Nico Muhly and a Finnish folk tune (which we were encouraged to sing along to) thrown in for good measure. I suspect many of the Musica Viva crowd weren’t expecting what they signed up for, but being at the adventurous end of the classical spectrum they didn’t go away disappointed. And a large part of that came down to the engaging banter between the musicians and the audience. Again there was an element of subverting classical conventions present, particularly towards the end, when Pekka announced they had 3 more songs followed by an encore. “I’m telling you now so we don’t have to walk on and off stage several times before we play it.” Frank and efficient if nothing else.

I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album when it is released some time in 2025.

You can listen to a recent interview with Pekka Kuusisto & Gabriel Kahane below: