The mystery and curiosity of Swiss instrumental band Krond-Flast

Save the date for a unique musical performance by two Swiss musicians
Regula Schwab and Lucien Dubuis of Krond-Flast
Regula Schwab and Lucien Dubuis of Krond-Flast

You can  search as much as you like for the meaning of Krond-Flast online, but you won’t find it. However, Regula Schwab insists that it is the name of a dish found in a French comic book that they had read long ago, and it is the mystery and the rarity of this word that inspired her to make it the name of her instrumental fusion music duo with Lucien Dubuis. 

Hence, Krond-Flast was formed seven years ago, when Lucien composed a piece on his bass clarinet for Regula as part of a collaborative project. Regula, who pays the baroque violin, was immediately hooked onto what she heard, and five years later, launched an album with him, called From Baroque to Future Rock

This month, as a part of an exchange programme by Swiss company Pro Helvetia, the two musicians from Switzerland have come to India for the first time, having performed at Delhi and Bengaluru already. Chennai comes next, with a workshop at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, which was held yesterday, and a concert at Adishakti today. 

Krond-Flast’s music possesses a very unique and mellow soundscape, with the clash of musical cultures (Regula’s classical background with Lucien’s jazz leanings) resulting in a unique musical blend. “Honestly, not many duos do the kind of music that we do. Our performance in Bengaluru was very well received. Even though we are an instrumental band, we ensure we explain what our songs are about while playing them,” says Regula. 

Regula and Lucien touched down in India around two weeks ago, and surprisingly, even for themselves, they got inspired to compose a new set of music. “The experiences in India have been so inspiring that we have so far come up with three new songs. For example, in Delhi, we were stunned by the scale of honking in traffic. So we decided to replicate the honk on stage,” she says, adding that this is the first set of fresh material since the launch of their album two years ago. 

Expressing their keenness to meet classical musicians in the country, Regula says they will try to make the most of their remaining time in the country. “We will be here until the second last week of October. So hopefully we will learn more about Indian music, compose more new songs and even launch an album after the tour!” she says.   

At Adishakti. September 28. 7 pm. 

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