German soprano, Japanese pianist captivate audiences

Music has the power to bridge barriers of all kinds, from language and cultures to countries and continents, music can bring people together.

The power of music left around 150 diplomats, journalists and activists spellbound and mesmerised – thanks to a classical music concert organised by the German Deputy Head of Mission Peter Felton at the embassy on Tuesday night.

Two young artistes, Luc Ket, a soprano, and Yukiko Tidten, a pianist, enthralled the audience with their outstanding skills. They performed around fourteen songs, mostly composed by 19th century artists, including legendry Gabriel Fauré, W.A. Mozart, and Robert Schumann.

The audience was made up of spectators from Europe, America and Asia. The concert, titled ‘Songs of Yearning’, included mostly classical opera pieces in German, French, English and Spanish, and entertained everyone. Live performances by Luc Ket and Tidten left everyone in a good mood.

Luc Ket is a soprano who started her career at the age of seven at the Netherlands Opera House. She is a celebrated classical singer and has had frequent tours to Europe, the US and Australia.

Talking to Pakistan Today exclusively, Luc Ket said that she started her singing career as soprano at the age of seven with the Nederland’s Opera House.

“I am here in Pakistan for the first time. But today’s performance has made me feel as if I am in my own country,” she said.

Japanese-born pianist Yukiko Tidten-Yoshikawa has won numerous musical awards. She studied music from top music institutions in both Japan and France. She has also worked as a successful pianist and piano teacher in several European and Asian countries.

She skilfully plays the piano, riding the waves of the tempo set by Luc Ket. As the opera singer brought out the agony, grief or joy in her song, she was accompanied by Tidten’s fluid movements on the piano.

Whether it was Morgen by Richard Strauss or Das Veilchen by W.A. Mozart, Ms Luc Ket sung sad and ecstatic songs with class, skills and control.

Jaime Ramos, an officer at the ‎Spanish embassy, told Pakistan Today that he truly enjoyed the performance.

“Luc Ket made us forget about space and time. We were drowning in her her music and nothing else but only her music existed. She has inspired me a lot. She is an extraordinary singer. After a long time, we had such a great and happy occasion,” he said.

Sonia Atallah from UNDP expressed gratitude to the German embassy for throwing such an exuberant performance.

“It was a real privilege to have Yukiko and Luc together. It is an opportunity that brings us together in Pakistan. I adored their music and they made me feel every second of it regardless of the fact I did not understand ‎two of the five languages Luc performed. It’s splendid to have a musician who speaks too many languages,” she added.

Kao Adachi, a Japanese national, said she had enjoyed the music a lot. “We don’t get to enjoy such concerts. Despite the fact that the songs were sung in various languages, she sung it with extraordinary excellence. I hope we will have more of such concerts in the future. We enjoyed this evening a lot, mostly because concerts for foreigners are rare here and we would love to attend such events,” she said.

Keiko Amada, another Japanese national, said that despite being an Asian, she enjoyed the Opera songs that were mostly in European languages.

On the occasion, Peter Felton informed the audience that the embassy had lined up three more concerts until Christmas. He said the embassy would keep on arranging such event to provide music lovers with good music.