There was a pleasant shift from an otherwise mundane Saturday evening for Western classical music lovers in the city, last week. Though I call myself a musician, I seldom attend concerts for fear of never finding the right sound from either pianos that are out-of-tune or pianists who are out-of-touch. But once in a while someone comes along to help you reminisce, take delight and if nothing else, just listen intently. Private music students of the renowned pianist and educator, Fauzia Marikar, performed for a large audience at Sandré Hall (Calcutta School of Music) on May 5. The recital, sponsored by Sas Fermion Ltd. and featuring 31 performers, spanned a repertoire of over 300 years, ranging from Baroque to Modern composers. The overall quality of the performances was highly motivating as the evening turned into an intriguing combination of talent, skill and discipline.

The concert started with Spandana Sen, aged four, followed by young performers whose style and competence were evident in their piano-playing. Guest violinists were featured, with Marikar herself accompanying senior pupils. There was never a tedious moment, including the time when the electricity vanished unannounced during Dvorák’s Humoreske, performed by eight-year-old Pramit Sarkar (violin). The fearless, young artist kept playing from memory and continued to produce a secure sound in the dark, prompting the audience to do what came naturally at the end — an explosive applause.

The senior students commenced the second half with Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba for four hands (piano). Eclectic selections by Jonathan Ramgopal, Aditya Chakraborty, Gaurab Dutta (piano) and Anirban Karak (violin) were particularly promising.

Avijit Kundu, a well-known pianist in Calcutta and senior pupil of Marikar, was undoubtedly the star performer of the evening. Each of his three selections had a mosaic of technical nuances that Kundu seemed to manage with ease, maturity and control. The ghastly arpeggios of Chopin’s Étude Op.10, No.1 — a work that very few pianists would dare attempt — were played steadily. Contrasted works by Khachaturian and Granados were executed with insight. The last performer, ten-year-old Oishik Ganguly, played an impressive Czerny study that demands advanced facility from both hands at a notable speed. The night ended, rather appropriately, with Ganguly playing one of the Chopin Preludes, perhaps prefacing what’s yet to come.

This well-done concert had an important and delightful lesson for everyone: we all just ought to play well, and play often.