Classical Masterworks Concert

Music lovers will have the rare opportunity of hearing the Trumpet as a solo instrument, when Naveen Fernando performs a trumpet concerto with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka on the 22^nd of February, at the Ladies’ College Hall.

Naveen Fernando, Sri Lanka’s leading Trumpet player and leader of the Colombo Brass Ensemble, will perform Hummel’s Trumpet concerto, considered one of the most significant pieces of the instrument’s repertoire. The composer, Johann N. Hummel who was born in Hungary, was a student of Mozart’s.  He was looked upon as being a Mozart-calibre child prodigy and, during his lifetime, became one of Europe’s greatly admired composers, pianists, conductors and teachers.  Although his reputation thereafter was mitigated by the success of his contemporaries Mozart,Beethoven and Schubert, Hummel undoubtedly enjoyed material comfort and artistic admiration during his career.

This trumpet concerto is described as being in the Mozart mould with Classic Viennese influence in its style. It was premiered in 1804 for a New Years dinner dance concert at the Imperial Court in Vienna.

Mozart first operatic success The Abduction from the Seraglio premiered one month before his wedding to Constance Weber.  The music of the opera is described as exuding “boundless energy and good humour”, which is attributed to his happy frame of mind when composing this music. It is said that the poet Goethe said that Abduction "knocked everything else sideways."  Anything Turkish was the flavour of that time and Mozart’s use of extra percussion in the overture, in particular, evokes the sounds of the military Janissary bands of Turkey which gives the overture a ‘bright and cheery’ feel.
Bizet’s Symphony No. 1, written at the tender age of seventeen,  was never performed during his lifetime. His untimely death at the age of thirty seven cut short this talented composer’s life. Following his death many of his works were acclaimed as masterworks, leaving musicologists to wonder what more this remarkable composer could have achieved.
The symphony was discovered in the Paris Conservatoires’ archives about eighty years after his death. It received its premier in 1933 and has been considered a staple of the repertoire ever since. The symphony is acclaimed for its ‘beautiful melodies, rich orchestration, and elegant charm.’

Ajit Abeyesekerahas been a Co-conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka since 1996. One of Sri Lanka’s leading clarinettists he takes up the baton to conduct CLASSICAL MASTERWORKS.
Tickets and box plan at www.tickets.lk or in person at 113, Fifth Lane, Colombo 05, (opposite Café on the 5^th), Abans Colpetty and Sarasavi Bookshop, Nugegoda.

Masquarade Valentine's

 For the first time in Sri Lanka or maybe even the World, there was a Valentine's Party organised especially for Singles!! It happened in Colombo on 14th February 2015 at the Voice Lounge. Organised by a new events company calling themselves Philosophy Events, it was a new idea for Colombo to celebrate the day of love with singles. Unlike other parties that happen in Colombo, this was not just about dancing to DJ music. This indeed as a party with games & competitions, entertainment spots and PRICES!! They have really taken that extra step to consider about the guests coming to their party to keep them entertained and for them to interact with each other. Maybe Philosophy Events were trying to play Cupid here, but all in all it was good to get the folks to mix up and meet new people.
At the entrance everyone was given masquerade masks, so no one was left out of place. And their also were those who wore their own masks to compete in the best masquerade mask competition. 
There were various games like dancing couples, guess the song, karaoke [which was abruptly stopped in the middle], best dressed man & lady etc. And the prices were super cool too! Someone in our table won a 5000LKR gift voucher on drinks courtesy of the Voice Lounge!
Hiruni's Dance Troupe did Dance Acts during intervals. The compere was a very talented young lady that did a marvellous job in getting people all into the party. 
The organisers made sure that everyone enjoyed themselves, it was very thoughtful of them. So it was not the usual commercial party, these people did actually cared about giving their clients what they paid for.

Surely a good attempt as first timers in the business. But there are areas that needs to be improved. All in all these people seem like they have a successful road ahead of them, and can't wait to find out what they come up with for their next event.

Amara Dhwani

Amara Dhwani was a Sri Lankan Musical show held at the BMICH conference hall on 14th February 2015. It was a tribute to the Musical Maestro Pandit W. D. Amaradewa, organised by OSCA. The main performer was the Maestro himself alongside popular music artists of Sri Lanka who also happened to be students of the Pandit.

It was a wonderful concert that sort of gives you an overwhelming feeling to see the Pandit live in performance. From the very first note he sang there were tears filling my eyes as I couldn't believe I was actually experiencing his breathtaking music. It was a good reminder of what true Sri Lankan Classical & Pop music is. And how entertaining, soothing and close to heart they really were. The music, the lyrics and the performance all came together to transform us into that particular feeling or a moment in time of what the song actually meant. As if they were singing our lives in a song. I honestly miss that in modern sri lankan pop and even in classical. Also it reminded how in those days musicians though they were veterans in the field did not block the modern forms and new styles. Instead they used it in their own work giving it a spin to suite our tastes and culture. That, I believe is the genius of a talented musician.

I could listen to the music all week. I am sure others who attended the concert felt the same. In fact unlike in other concerts or even in movies, people didn't stand up and leave while the last song was going on. People still waited even after the curtain was closed. Probably they still couldn't come out of the musical trans they were all in. Unbelievably even the babies & children at the hall didn't make noise! I was so worried I wouldn't get to enjoy the concert when I saw the many little ones there were, but the entire place was in this complete discipline that no phone rang, no talking, no sound except for what was generated on that stage!! Definitely not something that usually happens in Sri Lanka.

The best thing about the whole concert would be the humility of Pandit Amaradeva. How humble this gentleman is. His students are big names in the Sri Lankan music world and he has so many achievements to be proud about. And yet the child like humility was such a wonderful  thing you saw in him.

He is very old now and can't remember most of the words of songs. Therefore he was reading out from placards. And I think his eyesight too is weak. So all words were not sung out sometimes. But I don't think anyone minded, cos his voice has not aged a single day. Everyone was cradled in the smoothness of his voice that no one cared about some words not being sung.

All in all the concert was good. The tickets were priced fairly so that people of all standards who loved his music could come and witness the Maestro in performance.

The Only problem I could say was in the bad organising. Starting from the publicity and tickets sales, with all the modern technology available, people still had to go to particular places to buy the tickets. And these outlets were about 3. Not in places accessible to many. So if someone wanted to see the show, one would have to go all that way to a seller and buy. So the tickets sales were completely chaotic and disorganised and inefficient. Why they didn't use a mobile or on line ticket selling methods is anyone's guess.

And also during the show even the chief performer who everyone came to see, didn't know what was going to happen next. And so didn't some of the guest performers. To me it felt as if they were on the stage for the first time, without prior rehearsals. Sometimes there were instances when someone would walk across the stage and they would discuss in whisper what was going happen next and so on. So such things were quite unprofessional for such a prestigious concert.

Let aside the weaknesses, which I hope the organiser would try to correct in the future, the show was a must see. An Amaradeva Performance is the true symbol of Sri Lankan music. It shows culture and essence of Sri Lanka and its people. So whoever who is in Sri Lanka if you don't see an Amadareva Performance during your stay here is a true loss. So make sure you add it into your plans the next time you visit.