Tazeen Qayyum sits at the centre of a large white canvas, silently smoothing out the fabric under her hands. At the other side of the stage, two musicians take up their instruments. Basel Rajoub begins with soft flutters of duclar, a wooden clarinet with a warm, airy sound. Complementing this, the metallic strings of Feras Charestan’s qanun ring out, sharp and bright, through the auditorium.
The two instrumentalists are Master Musicians of the Aga Khan Music Programme, a longstanding collaborative partner to the Edinburgh International Festival. Qayyum is responding to the melodies with a calligraphic drawing, based on four words written in Arabic: hope, kindness, justice and peace.
As the intricate, circular artwork expands, Rajoub switches to saxophone, its satin tone creating an entrancing duet with the celestial qanun, and animated calligraphic figures start to dance on the curtain behind the performers.
Both music and artwork are mesmerising but the relationship between them is less clear. While Qayyum’s looping pen-strokes get swifter as Rajoub taps out a frantic pace on a drum, for the most part the audience simply has to trust that there is a live, developing interplay between the artists.
But the spirit of the concert, of collaboration across mediums, has potential that hopefully these artists may explore further in future years at the festival.
Canvas of Sound with Tazeen Qayyum, The Hub, 21 Aug, run ended