KARACHI, March 31: As part of the National Academy of Performing Arts second annual arts festival, the second presentation of bandashein composed in afternoon ragas entertained a small number of discerning music lovers on Sunday.

It has to be kept in mind that the singers who performed are Napa students, therefore, the very fact that they even attempted such convoluted compositions is testimony to their passion for music.

The concert began with Farrukh Ahmed Khan’s rendition of raga pilu. The track was titled ‘Gorey gorey nainaan’. The singer did a reasonable job and seemed conscious of not to let go of the sur which was why he faltered a bit while belting out the taan.

Ahsan Shabbir’s attempt at singing ‘Main to har dum japoon’ in raga allahiya bilawal was pretty successful. The singer sounded more confident and relaxed than his last week’s couple of outings. He seemed cognizant of his vocal range and used it well, especially when he sang the sargam in the tune. However, he should be wary of the beat cycle which he sometimes misses in an effort to return to the qa’em sur.

Ahsan Shabbir was then joined by Iram Nafees to present the famous song ‘Milan rut aee’ in raga megh malhar. The singing was decent, and Irum was impressive particularly when she hit the lower notes.

Next up was Nadir Abbas and Iram Nafees’s version of ‘Data torey dwaar main gaon’. Both did their best and Iram willingly played second fiddle to Nadir Abbas.

The duet’s antras were sung with the requisite zeal and managed to create the ambience required for such a number.

The final item of the afternoon was Nadir Abbas’s rendition of ‘Kaahe maan karo’ in raga madhuvanti. Nadir took care of the tivra (sharp) notes very well, which evoked the feeling of anguish, the main characteristic of the raga.

He also tried to play with the beat of the tabla to the extent that it did not distort the composition.