By Jakob Steiner

Date:30-05-06

Source: Dawn

When it comes to simplicity in music, it often touches on the negative.

Especially in western classical music, the performance of an artiste is unfortunately often judged by the technical abilities he shows. A pianist who can do his scales at a neck-breaking speed is considered a great pianist. A violinist who plays the capriccios of Paganini, especially fast, will be praised for it and everyone looks up to him. A concert hall is definitely full for Chinese Pianist Lang Lang, a young rising star in western classical music. Technically skilled after years in the hard Chinese musical training he stuns everyone. If it were just for the beauty of his music, he would not be famous today. People focus on the techniques and forget about the music.

Last Saturday there was another monthly concert at Chitrkar, and it was a chance to hear and not only see how beautiful music can be, especially when it is also simple. Akmal Husain, one of the leading classical bamboo flute players, performed for a small but discerning audience. Akmal Husain learnt the bamboo flute, bansuri, from his late father, the renowned Ustad Allah Ditta Qadri of Mumbai who instilled in him a talent for classical as well as folk music. Together with Riaz Ahmad, who once again showed his forte at being a great accompanier with any instrument and performer, he brought out the smoothest tunes one can imagine.

Although bansuri produces similar tunes to those of the western flute, they are built in a very different way. The bamboo material makes the tune smoother and close to the human spirit as the tunes are solely produced by one`s breath, and the wooden material gives it more warmth than metal would. Even the limited range of bansuri - it only has six holes - is compensated by a finger technique that allows the player to play a range of 24 different tunes. In the western flute this can only be achieved by a number of holes and a complicated construction to block the holes.

As the techniques of playing bansuri are limited to the musician`s ability to use his fingers and his breath to model the beauty of the tune, the performance sounds very light. For the audience the music is beautiful as soon the musician starts making it. When he sits on the stage, it should look like he is doing so for pure joy. When it looks difficult and the musician makes an upheaval of the techniques, the attention of the audience will be shifting from listening to music to watching the musician.

Akmal Husain performed in a very relaxed way, also searching for eye contact with the audience, giving you the feeling of being the one whom the music is addressed to. It is a pity that only a few people should find their way to the monthly music concerts at Chitrkar in Gulberg. From Jaffar Husain, clarinet, to Ustad Salim Khan Poonchwaley, sitar, and many others it has put up great performers in the last months.

Not only do you have the chance to listen to their music in a very personal atmosphere but after the concert there is always time to get to know the artistes and find out the story behind their life as a musician. For students of a certain instrument like bansuri this is a chance to get very close to the professionals of their art and an opportunity to get valuable tips for their practice. For those who stayed longer Akmal Husain unpacked his collection of bansuris, from the Piccolo to the largest one which all have different ranges and pitches.

The venue itself gives people an up-close approach to art.You can look at the paintings that are displayed but also talk to artistes and students at all times. You may go and listen to a monthly music concert but musicians are there all week practising and teaching. It is of big value for cultural life in Lahore that here the arts should be accessible to everyone, and although still on a small scale, it raises appreciation for music and other arts that form Pakistan`s cultural heritage.