Folk music leaves audience awestruck
ISLAMABAD: The skills to enthrall audience and take them to exalted states of joy with incredible musical ingenuity are simply awe-inspiring.
No one left the scene when folk musicians played immortal soulful arrangements with the authenticity, energy and presence that endeared them to listeners at the residence of Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan Markus Peter and his wife Christina Peter Friday night.
It had been a while since this wonderful couple last hosted a gathering in their lawns. But when they do, the experience is rare and a memory their guests would want to last.
This event, organised by the Asian Study Group at their residence, was a stellar addition to the cultural fabric of the capital.
Time almost stood still for music loving crème de la crème of Islamabad when instrumentalists refused to recognise boundaries for the Danbura, Rubab, Suroz and Alghoza and of course the Dhol to mention a few.
It was superb musicianship when Rubab player Mohobat Khan picked and strummed the famous Pushto tune Bibi Shirini accompanied by Mohammad Khan on Dholak.
Hailing from the NWFP and Hyderabad, the two forged new musical ground that listeners believed were beyond time, cultures and geography.
Melissa Payson in the audience believed the music truly was the incredible sound of Pakistan.
Gracefully and elegantly in tune with each other musically and emotionally, Riaz Hussain on Suroz accompanied by his uncle Sangat Ali Dost on Danbura delivered performances with the kind of nuances that left the music lovers feeling they had just experienced something special.
Riaz Hussain’s magic evolved from his ability to call up rustic yet stunning and tranquil images of rural Balochistan when he performed a repertoire of rural folk Dastan of Mir Chakar Khan and the romantic tune of Hani Shah Ahmad.
“These are the most hypnotic sounds and colours of Pakistan,” said Simona Gallota whose respect for folk performers climbed even higher.
Like wild honey dripping from a tree, Akbar Khamisu Khan’s arrangements on Alghoza were filled with details and surprises while Rasool Bakhsh Brohi accompanied him on Danbura.
Changing melodies, swapping low and high harmonies that gave his performance cascading intricacy, Akbar Khamisu Khan’s inventiveness and adeptness in an art form that had long been more than his passion, was laudable.
And just when the audience thought they had had the best of the experience, the minstrels of Punjab — Kurban Niazi and his five-man band with Riaz Ahmad on Chimpta, Mohammad Aslam playing Jori (twin flute), Ashiq Hussain with his mono string instrument called the king and Sheikh Mohammad Zamman on the Dhol combined vocal mastery with instrumental prowess to create the sensations of a warm Punjabi night. As a musician bringing new flavour and fervour to his compositions such as Teray ishq nachaya Kurban Khan seemed to be adding new dimensions to the Sufiana, Arifana and Lok Geet.
And specially Sheikh Mohammad Zamman who made his audience feel he had touched life so deeply and paid his dues so courageously that he was personally inspiring when he beat that Dhol spinning like a whirlpool.
Everything about the evening was breathtaking — the magical full moon and a starry night just like Ambassador Markus Peter had wished for and the harmonies at a venue perfect for acoustic properties, and Khiva’s delicious barbeque. It was a lot like falling in love when every moment was burnt into memory and the people knew they would never be the same again.
Source: Dawn
Date:5/30/2010
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