NAPA takes audiences on a rich sonic journey

Two back-to-back concerts were staged at the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre of the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) on Sunday as part of its Repertory Festival, drawing audiences into an evening of diverse musical performances spanning jazz, fusion, semi-classical and pop.

The first concert was presented by the Arsalan Pareyal Trio, featuring Arsalan Pareyal on guitar and rubab, Salman Yousuf on bass guitar, and Waqas Gulab on tabla and cajon. The set also included a cameo appearance by Prof Patrick Murphy, who joined them for a jazz performance.

The evening opened with the trio performing guitarist Aamir Zaki's 'The Day She Left', followed by 'Bheem'. The programme then moved to a rubab piece titled 'Autumn Leaves', showcasing the group's instrumental range and stylistic versatility.

Prof Murphy joined the ensemble as they performed the jazz composition 'Black Orpheus – Bossa Nova', adding a collaborative dimension to the set. The trio returned to the stage with a performance titled 'Aamad', before concluding their segment with 'The Kid from Kharadar'.

The second concert featured Minaam, who presented a blend of semi-classical and pop music. He opened his performance with the well-known television original soundtrack 'Woh Jo Humsafar Tha', setting a reflective tone for the evening.

Minaam followed with renditions of popular songs including 'Aaj Jaanay Ki Zid', 'Mujh Se Pehli Si Mohabbat' and 'Neend Na Aaye', drawing from widely recognised classical and contemporary repertoire. His performance then transitioned into semi-classical compositions, including Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's 'Sanson Ki Mala' and 'Naina Morey'.

The set further included 'Sahil Pe Kharay', 'Tere Pyar Mein', 'Ranjish Hi Sahi', 'Dam Mast Qalandar', 'Unke Andaz-e-Karam', 'Kadi Tay Has Bol', 'Piya Ghar Aya', 'Akhiyan Udeek Diyan' and 'Lal Meri Pat', reflecting a broad selection of familiar musical works across genres and eras.

A large number of audience members attended both concerts and appreciated the performances, expressing clear enjoyment of the musical presentations throughout the evening.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)