Republica’s Pravat Jung Gurung caught up with Huber, who is in Kathmandu to play with Nepali bands for a fusion night over the New Years Eve. Excerpts:
What brings you to Nepal?
The Nepali Music Festival and the D Fusion brought me to Nepal with their wonderful project which gives hope for peace to the Nepali people. I came to Nepal almost 30 years ago and its’ difficult to say the change if you ask if it’s changed. The Nepali people are always very warm, welcoming and peace loving people.
Why are you traveling the world?
I was born in a musical family. My father, Klaus Huber, is a famous avant-garde music composer so I was brought up in a family of musicians where music was always there and it was peaceful. So when I grew up, I had my first lessons in violin from my father and I was later taught by Volker Biesenbender, a famous classical violinist.
Ali Akhbar Khan and Zakir Hussein also taught me and I’m lucky to have them as my teachers. Now, I travel the world to find a common peaceful ground through my music and I try and bring different cultures together and performing with different artists from around the world in one stage.
Music is always a strong communication tool to find a common ground everywhere and it’s a universal language. Music gives you hope!
What is your music like?
My father is an avant-garde musician and he’s music is extremely non-commercial than mine. So I had this different way of looking at music. I am just very lucky to play music and compose it. I have met some famous artists from around the world. But yes, my music is not very commercial.
What is your main aim in doing concerts around the world and how successful has it been?
The main aim for my concerts, called the “Gandhi Tour” around the world is to promote peace and the promotions have been overwhelming. I was invited once in 2003 in Lahore, Pakistan to play in a concert and I was warned by Swiss Government that I should not go and even I did, I should go on my own and I was a bit scared and worried.
Also, I wasn’t sure if the people would like my music. But finally I found the courage to go and the concert was fantastic. An Australian musician and I were the only international musicians. It was amazing to see people enjoy my music and I was surprised to see how hungry they were for some cultural exchange.
Why is your tour named “Gandhi Tour”?
When I was a boy, my grandfather used to tell me stories of Gandhi because he was very impressed with what he was doing. So since my early childhood, I kind of knew Gandhi and then I came to know of the message of Gandhi. It touched me deeply and later when I found one of the rare recordings of Gandhi’s, I mixed it with my music and sent it to his grandson, Arun Gandhi.
I was scared he wouldn’t like it but the opposite happened and I was taken by surprise but of course, I was happy. That’s where the Gandhi Tour started.
(Huber, will be performing along with local bands and singers, Mukti and Revival, Hemanta Rana, Shyam Nepali, and Pramod Upadhya to welcome the new years at The Everest Hotel on April 12, 2012. The event’s tickets are priced at Rs 3,000 for single entry and Rs 5,500 for a couple which include drinks and dinner.)
Related story
Australian national Huber dies
