Music review: Joseph Tawadros performs Angel at Canberra's Street Theatre

Joseph Tawadros has been a regular visitor to Canberra in recent years, touring the city under his own banner as well as in collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Song Company. However, this was the first time that he has performed Angel in the capital. The program was derived from an album of the same title that he released in 2007. It consists of two suites, and is very personal being closely associated with the memory of his parents. Tawadros is joined on stage by his brother James on percussion, Matt McMahon on piano and Dimitri Vouros on clarinet.

Tawadros begins the concert alone on stage with his oud and a bowler hat. He performs an improvised piece in an Arabian mode. He is emerging as one of Australia's greatest instrumentalists. His use of phrasing is captivating, his dynamic changes impeccable – filling the theatre with sound at one moment, then making it feel very small and intimate the next. Tawadros' ability to carry the audience emotionally and energetically along with him is a rare gift.

Angel is a five-piece suite with a distinctly Arabic aesthetic. Tawadros' instinct for dynamics also extends into his compositions. The piano, clarinet and percussion are all asked to play at extremes of loud and quiet. This allows Tawadros to present an extraordinary array of textures from just four instruments. The highlights of the piece are some extremely quiet, mournful passages and at the opposite extreme some exciting fast passages featuring interplay between Tawadros' oud and McMahon's piano.

James Tawadros' stage presence deserves special mention. He spends the entire piece completely obscuring his face behind his white frame drum, like a sort of Middle-Eastern male Sia. His brother barely acknowledges his presence, but he does not need to, they are almost symbiotically connected through their music. It is only in the final piece before intermission, Fallen, that we see the face of the younger Tawadros as he starts things off with a fascinating solo on the req.

The second suite of the night, Hand in Hand, is much more jazz inspired. It is also quite sensual. It showcases the clarinet, played extremely quietly. You hear more breath than actual note, almost like a beautiful girl whispering in your ear. The final movement is the energetic high point of the evening, all performers providing long and intense improvised solos.

As well as being an accomplished performer, Tawadros is also an adroit and chatty MC. He keeps the night going with jokes about the spill – "It's not Rudd again is it?" – and about the great Arabic country singer "Salim Dusty".

The crowd is very appreciative, refusing to let him go until he has performed two encores, stretching the performance to nearly three hours. Fortunately when Tawadros is involved, you can't really have too much of an oud thing.