KARACHI, March 4: Ustad Hamid Ali Khan’s masterful display of classical and semi-classical singing proved to be the worthy climax of the two-day ninth annual music festival organised by the All Pakistan Music Conference at the Arts Council Karachi on Saturday.

The ustad, who was the last artiste of the evening, started off with an exhaustive rendition of raga darbari and as expected performed solidly, painting the picture of the composition in an uninhibited style, making the discerning audience ‘get’ the nuances of the raga. During the recital he playfully made the tabla nawaz, Khurshid Husain, engage in his act with equal verve and energy as he was exhibiting. It created a delightful scene.

It was almost inevitable that Hamid Ali Khan would present the thumri ‘Kab aao ge’ made famous by his late brother, the inimitable Ustad Amanat Ali Khan. He mixed it with ‘Na maro bhar pichkari’ (in the same raga) despite not being happy with the sound system, which according to the ustad had more ‘hum’ than required. The thumris were a treat to listen to. Hamid Ali Khan seemed completely immersed in his art, and as a result the audience responded to each taan and sargam that he belted out.

Although the ustad appeared to have done with his stint on stage, music lovers wanted him to sing more. A series of requests came Hamid Ali Khan’s way. One such demand was for the celebrated ghazal ‘Guzar gaya jo zamana’. The ustad obliged.

Earlier, the day commenced with a wonderful instrumental by clarinettist Jaffer Husain Randhawa. His recital of raga pooriya dhanasri merited an encore. Jaffer Husain did justice to the deep sound of the instrument. He was accompanied by Khurshid Husain (tabla), Irshad (harmonium) and Wajid (tanpura).

The young bansuri player, Haider Rehman, gave a pleasant surprise to music buffs with a soulful structuring of raga Bhopali. He played with the kind of infectious passion that touched the hearts of those who were listening to him. The most noteworthy aspect of his act was that he enjoyed the performance himself. He played the longer notes with great feeling and imparted a flowing touch to the shorter ones.

Vocalist Urooj Saami presented raga malkauns. Since he belongs to a known gaeki gharana, his performance was sound and true-to-art, if a tad lengthy. Had he shortened his stay, it would have been more pleasing.

Noted drupadh singer Alia Rasheed was next. She sang raga marwa with typical genuineness. The artiste was a little uncomfortable with the pakhawaj’s tuning. Her second number was a Bulleh Shah kalam which Alia Rasheed said she had fitted into the drupadh style. The audience liked it.