Dubai: A tribute concert for the late Pakistani singer Mahdi Hassan will be held on Friday at Ductac (Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre) in the Mall of the Emirates.
The event will be hosted by noted compere Anwar Maqsood, with singer Ali Abbas rendering some of Hassan’s ghazals, a music genre based on poetry dedicated to the themes of love and separation. The concert will also feature a guest performance by singer Sajjad Ali.
Tickets are priced at Dh500 for the VIP section, Dh300 for the stalls and Dh200 for balcony seats. Doors open at 6.30pm and the event is expected to last until about 10pm. Tickets are available at the Ductac and Time Out box offices, from timeouttickets.com and from the show’s organiser, Boulevard One, an event management company.
Hassan was dubbed the King of Ghazal, with millions of fans snapping up his albums or tuning in to his tracks on radio in India and Pakistan. He also enjoyed success as a playback singer for the Pakistani movie industry.
The artist who had been in poor health for years was 85 when he died in June in Karachi.
Hassan was born into a long line of traditional musicians in Rajasthan in pre-independence India in 1927. With a passion for Urdu poetry, he shot to fame on Radio Pakistan in the late 1950s and later came to be known as the King of Ghazal.
Host Maqsood will relate some of the experiences he shared with Hassan.
Talking about the upcoming concert, singer Ali Abbas said: “As much as it’s difficult for me, I’ll try my best to bring his [Hassan’s] music alive on the stage for the people of Dubai.”
For more info, call 050 508 1904 or email boulevardonedubai@gmail.com.
