ISLAMABAD – Joanna Goodale is a woman of substance. Born into a British-Turkish family, the French-Swiss pianist is not only multifaceted by birth but as a professional too. Holding a Master’s degree in Piano and Social Anthropology, she is an acclaimed musician who has traveled around the world with passionately driven transcultural projects. Recently, she accepted an invitation from the Marriott Hotel Islamabad to mesmerize the tinsel town with her magic.
Goodale performed to a spellbinding audience for over two hours at the newly renovated Marque at Islamabad Marriott Hotel. The guests were dressed to the nines, and after the last round of cocktails, they snaked through the doors to the hall where a sit-down dinner awaited. After a brief introduction by the Master of the Ceremony, Goodale came on stage and informed the audience of her musical journey. It was her first time in Pakistan, but she was determined to treat a selective audience, mostly piano enthusiasts, over the weekend. “This concert will be a musical journey throughout my career, bringing together Western music with Middle Eastern influences on the piano,” said the piano pedagogue, who has been teaching piano for over a decade.
The first round of her performance was dominated by French and German music composers, starting with two pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, a German composer from the 17th/18th century, considered one of the greatest geniuses among Western composers. The first piece was a prelude in E minor, followed by a second one in D minor. It was during this part that she played “The Moonlight” and “Gardens Under the Rain,” composed 100 years ago by the French composer and music theorist Jean-Philippe Rameau. Goodale then touched upon her ancestral roots, taking the audience to the Ottoman era and the birthplace of her mother, Turkey, where she encountered Sufism, which inspired her to arrange some Sufi melodies on the piano from both Turkey and Iran.
It was in Konya, the center of Sufism in Turkey, where Maulana Rumi, the famous Sufi poet, lived most of his life, that Goodale fell in love with the spiritual and musical essence of the region. “I was very touched by the way the Sufis use music to convey their prayers, their faith in God, and induce a state of grace,” explained the pianist to the audience. “I realized this when I listened to Sufi music and could connect the dots with a sense of similarity to Johann Sebastian Bach, whose deep devotion is entirely driven by his faith in God.”
For Goodale, music transcends human emotions for short moments of time and helps individuals connect to higher energies and a sense of unity. After listening to many Persian and Turkish musicians in Konya, she was spiritually moved by the Sufi music. It was out of pure admiration that she felt she owed it to Sufi music and began composing melodies to express them through the piano, merging them with Western traditional music. It was a lethal combination, as she composed new pieces based on melodies by Sebastian Bach, infused with Sufi rhythms from Turkey and Iran.
During the second part of the concert, she began with folk tunes from the Balkans, mainly from Macedonia, titled “Languages of the Birds,” followed by a melody of “Bismillah-e-Rehman.” It was not over yet, as she rendered her composed music by the famous Turkish poet Yunus Emre called “I Love You.” Following her ecstatic journey along the Sufi trail, the audience swayed to the melody of Shahram Nazeri, one of the biggest singers of Iran, inspired by Maulana Rumi but performed in the Persian dialect. For this melodious rendition, she wore ankle bells, explaining that in Persian music, a round wooden frame with jingles and a thin translucent head instrument called “Daf” creates a certain note. To evoke that instrument, she added ankle bells to her foot to play this Sufi tune.
The concert was not only food for thought, but the Marriott Hotel had also managed to arrange a sumptuous meal for the bon vivants attending the musical treat. Guests enjoyed Smoked Aged Beef, Cappuccino Lobster Bisque for the entrée, followed by Seabass Ravioli, Fruit Granatine for Sorbet, and Beef Tenderloin as the main course. As the concert drew to its finale, Goodale offered a humble tribute to Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan by playing “Haq Ali Ali” and “Dum Must Qalandar” on the piano, accompanied by two qawwals on the table and one on the Rubab, before bringing the night to a close.
