Two popular guests of the Twin Cities classical music world — Gabriel Kahane, based in Portland, Ore., and Finnish musician Pekka Kuusisto — shared their new project, Council, at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis on Tuesday. The two composer/musicians dazzled the audience with playful experimentations, absorbing melodies, a bit of improvisation and an off-the-cuff style.

Gabriel Kahane, left, and Pekka Kuusisto. (Sam Gehrke / Schubert Club)

Kahane and Kuusisto developed the songs they played in the concert over a series of retreats in Northern Karelia, in Finland, and Portland. The performance at the Parkway was only their third time performing as the moniker, and a kind of giddiness bubbled up in the midst of the performance. They haven’t fine-tuned their jovial act, which is generally Kahane acting the straight man to Kuusisto’s absurdist idiosyncrasies, and yet it’s a joy to watch the two find their way together musically and energetically.

Both Kahane and Kuusisto sang their own tunes — Kahane with his raspy voice, setting his poetry to lilting tunes, and Kuusisto with his raw vocals and words so vulnerable they could be naked. They sang together as well, harmonizing beautifully in the hypnotic “Bright Forms.”

Whatever instruments they played — one or the other on the harmonium, Kahane on the piano or guitar, Kuusisto finding altogether new ways to make sounds out of his violin, or playing the electric violin he borrowed from Susie Park of the Minnesota Orchestra (his broke, and his harmonium needed repair after being jangled in travel) — they danced with each other’s melodies with effortless grace. Yes, a “wrong” note popped up here or there in the midst of improvised sections, but that almost seemed besides the point. It was just a wonder to watch two musicians finding, discovering and gaining confidence in the new sound they were creating.

The concert was full of inspired moments, beginning with the first exploratory sounds in their song “Old Wounds,” where Kuusisto’s dissonant violin met Kahane’s alliterative lyrics and nature-inspired sounds. Later, the audience was treated to the science-fiction-sounding “Evolved Space,” Kuusisto’s looping fiddle in “Crossing Guard,” Kahane’s biting words in “Oh, Cousin,” and Kuusisto’s delightful ennui in “Mid Career.” They also riffed on a tune by Finnish composer Timo Alakotila with spirited vigor.

The event was a fitting final event for Schubert Club Mix, a program that aims to take the formality out of classical music. It also matched presenting partner Liquid Music’s track record of nurturing innovation in various artistic disciplines. In this case, Kahane credits Liquid Music’s artistic director Kate Nordstrom for encouraging the two musicians to investigate a collaborative relationship.

For the curtain call, Council performed a Finnish folk song, playing it, Kuusisto said, for the musicians of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, where Kuusisto formerly was an artistic partner and Kahane has performed and been commissioned. Kuusisto alluded to recent struggles at the SPCO, including the musicians’ vote of no confidence in Jon Limbacher, the orchestra’s managing director and president, and the news that Kyu-Young Kim is resigning from his role as artistic director with the orchestra. “This is a very happy nonsensical Finnish folk song that we want to play for them,” Kuusisto said, “to remind them that eventually, there will be some sunshine.”

Schubert Club Mix

What: Schubert Club Mix and Liquid Music

When: Schubert Club Mix resumes on Oct. 19, with Sō Percussion and Caroline Shaw in a co-presentation with the Walker Art Center, then later performances by Bradley Greenwald and Friends, Dreamers’ Circus (also with the Walker), and Turtle Island Quartet.

Where: See schubert.org and liquidmusic.org for details.

Tickets: Varies

Capsule: Schubert Club Mix and Liquid Music nailed it with its presentation of the remarkable new music group Council, featuring Gabriel Kahane and Pekka Kuusisto.

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