KARACHI, March 2: A good blend of classical and semi-classical compositions set the tone for the two-day 9th annual music festival during its inaugural session organised by the All Pakistan Music Conference at the Arts Council on Friday.

Shehnai player Naeem Husain opened the proceedings with two classical compositions. It was sad to see that not many people could enjoy Naeem Husain’s heartfelt performance because at that time music lovers had just started to trickle into the Arts Council lawns.

Saghir Ahmed Mir was the second artist of the day. He sang a ghazal ‘Roshan jamal-i-yaar se’ in pradeep raga. It was quite obvious that Saghir Ahmed was influenced by the legendary Mehdi Hasan’s ghazal singing, because from start to finish his tonal fluctuations sounded like an amateur reworking of a Mehdi Hasan number. But then he proved his worth by singing a thumri in a totally different style.

Known sitar player Sajid Husain performed raga gavati. He was accompanied on stage by tabla player Khurshid Husain. Sajid Husain’s act was good to listen to, particularly when he touched the softer notes. However, it was Khurshid Husain’s remarkable tabla playing which, as it should, beautifully complemented the sitar. Khurshid Husain is a brilliant instrumentalist and a kind of an unsung hero.

Young vocalist Akbar Ali was the surprise package of the day. According to the host of the festival, Akbar, who had flown in from Lahore to take part in the event, belongs to the Shaam Chaurasi and Indore gharanas of Indian classical music. He presented raga saraswati, which, despite its pure classical ang, was thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by the audience. He sang with the poise and self-assuredness of a professional vocalist. Had the sound on the PA system of the instrumentalists who played with him — Akhtar Husain (sarangi), Irshad (harmonium), Wajid (tanpura) and Khurshid Husain (tabla) — been a tad clearer, Akbar Ali’s recital would have been much more listenable. After saraswati he crooned a thumri ‘Naina Morey’, which was equally well received.

Distinguished singer Mehnaz was next. It took her some 15 minutes to grace the stage after Akbar Ali because her musicians had not tuned their instruments yet. The interval sort of broke the momentum that Akbar Ali had set, but still Mehnaz, with her mellifluous voice, was able to attract the audience’s attention. She began with a light number ‘Hamrey aeen hain sanwarya’ and followed it up with ‘Koelia mat ker pukar’ (dadra). After that she presented a thumri, ‘Gia mora lagey’ and rounded off her performance with the famous Faiz poem, ‘Dasht-i-tanhai’.

Ustad Naseeruddin Sami was slated to perform last on the opening day of the festival.