KARACHI: A bit of nippiness that had enveloped in the city on Friday evening continued as a delightful mix of junior and senior artists displayed their talent and skill on the second day (Saturday) of the 17th All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) in the lawns of the historic Frere Hall.

Music lovers enjoyed the evening and they must also be acknowledged for being a discerning audience.

Seasoned harmonium player Idrees Hussain was the one who set the tempo for the concert in a befitting manner. His rendition of raga madhuvanti was unfussy and uncomplicated. He didn’t try to go overboard to show what feats he could achieve with the instrument, keeping things simple and pure. This was the right start.

He was followed by young khayal gaek Mohammad Ahsan, who is now a pretty known name among those who follow classical music. The reason is his prodigious talent. He sang raga hameer kalyani, which the announcer said is sung at a time (after dusk) that the artist had chosen on Saturday.

Next up was another vocalist, Imran Abbas, who sang raga champak.

He appears to be a hard working individual who takes his job seriously, as all musicians should, and should be appreciated for it. But he seemed inclined to do a trifle more than was required. Still, his stint on stage was fine.

Perhaps the surprise item for the evening was a young sarod player from the United Kingdom, Shayaan Saquib, who played raga bihaag. His presentation was delightful, and young Junaid Ali (tabla) was in total synch with him which made all the difference. One would like to listen to both of them more.

The last performer of the conference was the eminent sitar player Ustad Ashraf Sharif Khan, who made a beautiful gesture by inviting young artists Shayaan, Junaid and others on stage to sit with him during his performance. He presented raga megh. As always, he impressed the audience.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2020