ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr Cyrill Nunn hosted an Advent Concert featuring Thomas Weißschnur and Yukiko Tidten-Yoshikawa at the German Embassy Auditorium.

Dr Nunn welcomed the guests to the celebration of the nativity.

He said: “The Advent is a season observed to celebrate the nativity of Jesus and it is traditional to celebrate the occasion with music. The duo will be playing pieces from the German Romance music and Italian Baroque.”

The first part of the concert was dedicated to Schumann, the nineteenth century, arch-Romantic composer who used his pieces to register the nuances of life – emotions, thoughts and impressions. His quintessential works are the shorter pieces composed for the piano and are, in the best Romantic tradition, akin to poetry.

Weißschnur and Tidten-Yoshikawa played Schumann’s Three Romances, Opus 94: moderato, semplice con sentimento and moderato.

Switching to a different tempo altogether, the duo then played Corelli’s Sonata No. 12 in D minor, Opus 5-12 ‘La Folia’.

Originating as a simple Portuguese tune with a designated chord progression, the La Folia was exceedingly popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods when countless composers across Europe, from Corelli to Vivaldi, created variations of it. Corelli was the archetypal composer and musician of the Italian Baroque era, and his mastery of harmonic progression was apparent in the selections performed.

The last planned segment of the concert was devoted to Brahms, the German composer and pianist of the Romantic period who is known both for the depth and versatility of his compositions and the volume of symphonies, concerti, chamber music, choral compositions and so on that he created. Brahms was the great master of symphonic and sonata style in the second half of the 19th century.

The selection for the evening was one of Brahms’ last compositions, the Sonata for clarinet and piano No.2 in E-flat major, Opus 120-2, played allegro amabile, allegro appassionato and andante con moto – allegro.

Katherine Abbasi said: “The Brahms was extraordinary but I have always been partial to Brahms.”

Amid resounding applause the duo decided to play one more piece which Michele Galopin thought was brilliant.

She said: “I am very keen on classical music and this was a real treat. The last selection in particular was very well done as it was an adaptation of a Piazolla tune for the accordion. To get that level of depth and feeling from a wind instrument is extraordinary.”

Freiburg-born clarinettist Thomas Weißschnur is internationally active as soloist, chamber- and orchestra-musician. He has performed with various orchestras and ensembles in Europe, the US and Asia, including the Guarneri Trio Prague, the Amaryllis Quartet, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Konzerthaus Kammerorchester, The Macau Orchestra as well as the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble.

While studying in Freiburg, Helsinki, Los Angeles and Berlin, Thomas Weißschnur received scholarships from the Brahms society Baden-Baden, the Fulbright Commission and the Academie Musicale de Villecroze. He is currently based in Düsseldorf, where he is on faculty at the International Music Academy Anton Rubinstein.

Yukiko Tidten-Yoshikawa was born in Kyoto, Japan, and has been internationally active as concert pianist in Japan and Europe. She studied at the University of Arts, Kyoto, at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris in France, where she acquired the “Diplôme Supérieur d’Enseignement de Piano”, and at the National Superior Conservatory for Music and Dance in Lyon, France (CNSM), where she obtained the “Diplôme National Supérieur Professionnel de Musicien” in 2009 and the “Diplôme de deuxième cycle supérieur - Grade de master”, a masters degree, in 2011.

She received scholarships of the Nomura Foundation and the Rohm Music Foundation. Since 2014, she is living in Islamabad, Pakistan, where she teaches piano music and is active as a concert pianist.

Sonja Attendorn said: “There was great harmony between the piano and the clarinet which made the performance quite lovely.”

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2014