KARACHI: A variety of instrumentals and vocal performances marked the second and last day of the 12th Annual Festival organised by the All Pakistan Music Conference at the National Academy of Performing Arts on Saturday night.

It would be unjust not to praise the first performer of the evening, young and uber talented sarangi player Gul Mohammad. His rendition of raga basant mukhari was top-notch. The gifted sarangi nawaz immediately caught the attention of music lovers with a melancholy-tinged alaap and then got them completely hooked as he upped the tempo with the help of competent tabla player Zohaib. It was not an easy raga to opt for because it required it to be played feelingly rather than with extraordinary skills. Gul is one of those young musicians who need to be nurtured and encouraged.

Know more: Brass band sets tone for 12th music conference

Vocalist Urooj Saami presented raga bhopali. It was understandable that he was getting a bit distracted due to the loud noise coming from across the arena (Arts Council) where an event was also taking place. Still, Saami managed to round off his bit well.

Young sitar player Turab Ali was next. He was asked to play the mellifluous raga aiman. He did an impressive job. It’s noteworthy the way he holds sitar. His grip is loose, unlike a majority of sitar players who keep their left hand firm on the instrument, which imparts a more effortless flow to his hand movements enabling him to play each note clearly, especially during the jhala. Also, the talent Gul, Turab and Waqas Hussain (the latter performed the day before) exhibited suggests that the future of classical music in this country is not in danger.

The next performer, Mohammad Ali, however, left much to be desired. His ghazal singing sounded more imitative and his understanding of words (which is important for any ghazal gaek) was dodgy. This was evident from his first act, which was Ghalib’s ‘Dil-i-nadaan tujhe hua kia hai’. His attempt at emulating the legendary Mehdi Hasan while singing ‘Roshan jamal-i-yaar se hai’ too did not leave any impression.

After that Akbar Khamisu Khan entered stage and added some more colour to the event. He played raga sultani on the alghoza and earned a decent applause. He informed the audience that he was learning classical music from Ustad Fateh Ali. His second performance was a kaafi.

The last two vocalists were Humaira Channa and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2015

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