KARACHI: It was a special evening in every sense of the word. The Hungarian child prodigy, Misi Boros, who has created ripples all around the world by virtue of his extraordinary talent as a pianist, cast a spell on music lovers on Thursday evening at a Christmas piano concert held at a local hotel.

The 13-year-old Misi showed his extraordinary range as a musician by playing compositions steeped in Western classical music. He played masters like Bach and Beethoven with consummate ease and with the kind of ‘feel’ that’s a prerequisite for any musician who wishes to become a force to reckon with. To boot, he seemed to enjoy the tunes he was playing immensely, which is why when at one particular juncture a woman photographer tried to take his picture during a performance he glanced at her with a gentle smile and reverted to the music without showing any sign of discomfort.

When Misi took a breather, young Pakistani pianist Asad Anees appeared on stage and performed. He was no less impressive. His performance had panache which was well received by the audience. Then both Misi and Asad played together, reinforcing the notion that music cuts across cultural and geographical boundaries. Misi’s brother also joined him for a brief period. The final few pieces that Misi played were a treat to listen to because in them he evoked the visuals of the sound (of music).

Earlier, Sikander Lalani gave a presentation on the Hungary Bonds Residency Programme. He said Hungary was a friendly country. He shed light on the investment opportunities that existed there.

This was followed by a video presentation on a TV showVirtuosos created by Marianne Peller that started in 2014. This was the show that Misi Boros won and became an overnight international star. Only last year, Misi did 82 concerts in the world.

After that Ambassador of Hungary Istvan Szobo addressed the audience. He said last year a cultural group came to Pakistan and this year the piano concert was taking place near Christmas. He said Christmas was a time for giving gifts and this year the organisers were presenting a gift in the form of the young celebrity pianist. He said the show Virtuosos had become the Hungarian brand. He said the love for classical music could be more popular in Pakistan because Pakistan was a country of 200m people whereas Hungary had 10m.

Mr Szobo also invited the three young musicians to speak about themselves. Misi said he began playing the piano when he was four.

The event was organised by the Embassy of Hungary in association with Lalani and Associates.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2016