Music Day: Folk, classical performances mark Arts Council concert

Folk songs and thumri were the most popula­r perfor­mances­.

FAISALABAD: Folk and classical music performances at an event held on Saturday night at Faisalabad Arts Council marked the World Music Day.

Ali Sher, who has won a music competition organised by an Indian television channel; Salman Cecil, Ali Raza, Nayyar Pervaiz, Noorul Huda, Mansab Fateh, Abad Ali and Urran Band were the performers.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Auditorium of the arts council remained packed with spectators, most of them families, throughout the concert.

Ali Sher’s folk song and Jia Ali’s thumri were the most popular performances. Ghulam Abbas presented a classical song in Punjabi and Mansab Fateh Ali a ghazal.

The organisers had to intervene during a dhamal performed by Urran Band to stop the crowd who wanted to join the dhamal. The crowd, however, continued to cheer up the performers by clapping to their songs.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Nayyar Pervaiz said the crowd’s response was heartening.

He said the musicians were still recovering from the censorship imposed on entertainment industry during Ziaul Haq’s rule.

He said the censorship had led to a decline of standards at the grassroots level. Besides, he said, the rising popularity of other musical genres had also affected the people associated with classical music.

Jia Ali said many families that had been associated with classical music for generations were now encouraging their children to take up other professions.

She said praised the FAC for continuing to support folk and classical music by arranging such events.

Rafia Bano, one of the audience, said she was particularly impressed by the dumbek and tabla performances.

Published in The Express Tribune, 25^th, 2012.