ISLAMABAD: Aimed at promoting Pakistan’s cultural heritage and encouraging young musicians, the Sarangi Star Season 2 competition was held at Serena Hotel on Thursday

The venture initiated with an online competition and after thorough selection, six finalists were invited to perform at the event held at the Seesh Mahal. It was attended by the diplomatic community, corporate heads and other prominent personalities of Islamabad.

The evening commenced with a three-person band, Hunza Folks from Hunza who performed an original composition which was in Carnatic Raag Hans Dhun. Their melodic arrangement was the perfect start to the evening and set the tone for the glorious tribute to music that followed artist after artist. The music they created was honest and poignant. The lack of vocals was compensated by the mere fact that their music had a language of its own – one that was inspiring and beautiful.

Following their act was Tufail Niazi’s son Jehangir and his ensemble of six boys from Islamabad, the Niazi Brothers. They were nothing short of spectacular in terms of fashioning a composition that was unapologetically original – their upbeat musical instruments played in direct contrast to the classical vocals. Where Jehangir sung Bulleh Shah’s poetic verses with absolute splendour, his musicians rocked with an upbeat groove – which resulted in a unique sound that captivated the audience who rocked their heads to the sound and swayed to the vocals.

The third performance was by Faraz and Salman from Sahiwal who paid homage to the ‘Jal times’. The minimalist music came solely from an acoustic guitar which was a perfect complement to the vocals that had an embedded sweetness and a lingering ardour. They accomplished a comprehensive repertoire and managed to create a host of colours, involving even classical ones.

In direct contrast to the softness Faraz’s vocals had entailed, Awais Kazmi from Lahore presented a solo act with an electric guitar and a looper. Forsaking conventional arrangement of a ghazal, his rendition of Allah Ho by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was exhilaratingly captivating. The lack of vocals was, however, significantly felt.

Following him, was a voice that shocked and awed the entire hall – Ans Rehmani from Rahim Yar Khan, who won the hearts of all the audience. He gave a power-house performance and he evidently rose above the rest. Entranced, the mood of the audience was set as his vocals induced a sense of complex serenity and an exalted appreciation of the warming emotion that his voice instilled.

The last act was by yet another exceptionally talented boy, Sajjad Haider from Faisalabad. His hauntingly audacious recital of Naina Thug Laingay was both beautiful and melodically superior, a tribute Rahat Fateh Ali Khan would have been proud of.

The jury, consisting of Nizar Lalani, Hadiqa Kiani and Sarmad Ghafoor were certainly a desi reincarnation of American Idol’s Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. Their criticism mirrored their American counterparts but their fair musical genius and appreciation of the contestants was praise-worthy. They selected of Ans Rehmani as Sarangi Star of Season 2 at the end of the event.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2018