KARACHI: It was a delightfully unusual evening. Not very often does one see three brothers playing western classical music to their hearts’ content at one concert. The Anees brothers — Ahsan, Asad and Usman — presented pieces by 19th century masters such as Mozart and Chopin at the Goethe Institut on Thursday evening as part of the ongoing annual German cultural weeks. Apart from solo performances, the three talented pianists played tunes for two- and four-hands piano which was a treat to watch.

The show went off to an impressive start with ‘Peer Gynt Suite’ (op 46 for 4 hands) by Edvard Grieg played by Usman and Asad Anees. The three movements from a sunny mood to a dance-like act to a deathly sound were incisively portrayed and very well received.

But the concert travelled to familiar territories when Usman and Ahsan played the oft-heard ‘Symphony No 40’ by Mozart. Both did justice to the composition by never losing sight of the light and graceful flow of the tune. It lifted the gig to a more relatable level.

Asad then rejoined Usman for Rossini’s ‘Barber of Seville Overture’. The inherent humour in the composition was not easy to capture. The brothers tried their best and succeeded to a great extent. The light-heartedness was nicely rendered as was a little dash of romance.

Ahsan Anees looked in supreme form with Mozart’s ‘Turkish March’. It seemed as if he had suddenly come into his own. He seamlessly blended the tempo of the tune with the recurrent sharp notes which was no mean feat because of the homotonal nature of the piece. Ahsan effortlessly kept pressing the keys playing the three sharp notes in the scale the way they merited. However, he looked a little conscious doing Chopin’s ‘Polonaise No 6’, perhaps because of the dramatic nature of the arrangement. As he went along in the piece he regained his confidence and did a good job. His effort was wholeheartedly appreciated by the crowd who had packed the concert hall in no time.

Then came Asad Anees for his three solo acts. The first was by J. Strauss, followed by Chopin’s ‘Grand Waltz No 1’ and ending with Alexander Scriabin’s work. He was noteworthy in trying to paint the high-strung picture of the Scriabin composition.

Usman Anees, the more known of the three brothers, came back for Beethoven’s ‘Piano Sonata No 8’ and did not disappoint either.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2014