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.