The Ruling Passion

Singing about love and passion isn't very spectacular. It requires class and finesse. Ordinary musicians can hide behind spectacular music to deliver, but Asitha Tennekoon and Ramya De Livera are no ordinary musicians and chose the harder option - to sing about love. This requires heart, soul, subtlety, control and passion.

I'm no music critic, but I felt that I must write about this program of music which is a rare and welcome experience for us in Sri Lanka.

You come to expect nothing but the best from musicians of the caliber of Asitha and Ramya De Livera. Asitha has been one of the finest tenors Sri Lanks has ever produced and is probably "the" finest tenor of our times in this our land. His performance last night was one of sheer purity and brilliance.

The programme began with Schumanns Widmung, a lengthy piano introduction gave way to Asitha's voice. He sailed through his renditions of all the pieces he sang with minimal effort but with maximum effect. His spectacular control and the delivery of subtle dynamics in a manner that conveyed the required expression were key factors that enabled him to carry the program through. The use of dramatisation and facial expression was subtle and added quality and meaning to his renditions.

The first half consisted of arias from operas and other songs composed by classical composers. The two standout pieces were "Il Mio Tesoro Intanto" from Mozart's infamous Don Giovanni and "Una Furtiva Lagrima" by Gaetano Donizetti. The latter work in particular was a stunning piece and Asitha made it sink deep into the soul.

The variety on display even within the first half was epitomized by the fervent yet hillarious rendition of "When I think upon the Maidens".

Ramya De Livera was at her usual brilliant best at the piano and like Asitha delivered the passion required to drive the program with subtle changes in style, expression and feeling. The piano at the Russian Center isn't the best in town but she made it sound as good any instrument you could get your hands on.

Dominic Johnpillai on violin gave a solo performance which was of high caliber, signalling that he is a serious emerging talent and is worth following.

The second half gave way to music of a lighter vain. The deep full sound of Peshali Yapa sang "Bill" from the well known musical Showboat. It was indeed a wonderful effort where she not only made the audience feel the love, laughter and the pain. She continued in this vain with some additional dramatisation in "Someone is sending me flowers". She was soon joined by Asitha in a duet. They sang well together. Their voices together aren't the most dynamic and wonderful pairings you would find, but they still click and can make their performance work.

"A Bit of Earth" by Lucy Simon was sung beautifully by Asitha and was the showpiece of the second half. Asitha and Peshali were also brilliant on the song "Anything you can do". They complimented each other fabulously, giving a comic but vocally brilliant performance.

The instrumental ensemble was also very good and added to the class of the performance. Dominic Johnpillai tended to play a little too loud at times, drowning out the others as well as the vocals on occasion, but Johann Peiris and Prajapa De Silva were very precise and conscious of their dynamic levels.

This program didn't quite let Asitha put his full vocal range and power on display. It was more an exhibition of beautiful singing filled with passion.

It was a night to remember and we need to thank Asitha, Ramya, Peshali and others for making it so memorable. I hope Asitha continues to grow in stature as a musician and some day comes back to Sri Lanka to thrill audiences with his ever present voice.

If you missed it yesterday try and make it over tonight to the Russian Center and experience the Ruling Passion.

Les Joies de la Musique

The Colombo Philharmonic Choir

Presents

Les Joies de la Musique

(The Joys of Music)

A selection of songs by Schubert, Schumann, Debussy, Mendelssohn and Brahms, choruses from the operas, Semiramide (Rossini), Norma (Bellini), Acis and Galatea (Handel), a cantata “O for the Wings of a Dove” (Mendelssohn) and “The Marvellous Work” (from Haydn’s Creation)

At The Russian Centre, Independence Avenue , Colombo 7

Saturday 12th July at 7.00 pm

Tickets: Rs. 400, available at the entrance (or at "The Autodrome", Union Place , opposite Pizza Hut)
Conductor: Manilal Weerakoon
Pianist: Radhika Abeynaike
Soloists: Minoli Goonewardene (Soprano), Sanjeev Niles (Bass)

Ample parking available at Maitland Place .
Please be there and pass the word around

The Five Greatest Voices of Our Times

Just thought of dropping a list of the five greatest voices of our time. This list is very much my opinion and is as per my taste in music. Here goes…

1. Andrea Bocelli: Andrea Bocelli possesses one of the most stunning voices to have been heard on the face of this earth. He doesn’t boast the raw power of Pavarotti or Domingo, but has a supreme sense of control of his vocal chords which is unmatched by far. He can sing the highest of notes in the softest of voices and can open out beautifully when needed. He also possesses a stunning range which can start from a bottom E to a high C.

He made a good move by doing more popular music in the recent past, exhibiting the virtues of his voice to a wider audience. The beauty of his voice when singing the simplest of songs (e.g. Can’t help falling in love with you) brings out the purity, subtlety and power in his voice. It will be some time perhaps even eternity before a voice like his graces this earth.

2. Luciano Pavarotti: I needn’t say much about the great man. But he had a voice that could stop traffic or stop your heart. He had amazing power and control and was an easy choice for any conductor despite his inability to sight read. He left a huge mark on the music industry and will be remembered as a legend.

His rendition of pop music however was not so subtle. He made a regular ass of himself singing with cheap-stakes like the Spice Girls etc. However he managed to get closer to a huge audience around the world. This was something his contemporary greats Domingo and Carreras didn’t manage due to sticking to the music they loved.

3. Frank Sinatra: Many say that his is the greatest voice that the pop music industry has ever heard. I believe this is so up to the point that Andrea Bocelli walked in to the pop scene. Sinatra does have an endearing voice that has all the attributes of a great singer. He was a solid performer live and his music will remain legendary for years to come.

4. Bruce Dickinson: The Iron Maiden front man has a freakish voice with the ability of pitching extremely high notes without singing falsetto or screaming. Few metal vocalists will boast of this virtue. He also delivers quality every time he sings live. In addition to being an energetic powerhouse on stage he sings those timeless high melodies with startling finesse.

5. Warrell Dane: One of the most compellingly raw voices rock n roll has ever heard. Being the voice for the powerful music composed by Nevermore is not easy, but Dane delivers with mind boggling ease. He hardly ever has to growl or scream to portray power. Listening to him singing their heart stopping melodies is like experiencing a different world.

He is however too drunk or stoned to sing with any sense of accuracy on stage at most times. His greatness is limited very much to his delivery at the studio. However even this inhibiting factor doesn’t take away from the power of his voice.

The Ten

Well the whole tagging scene reached me (who hasn’t blogged for centuries) as well.
Everyone else seems pretty much done with the tagging thing though.
Anyway thanks to angel_eyes here goes a list in no particular order of ten things that make me happy…

1. Being with the one I love
2. Spending time with close friends
3. Singing
4. Listening to music I love
5. Traveling
6. Watching solid movies
7. Eating fast food and sweets
8. Watching cricket (specially when Sri Lanka is doing well)
9. Day dreaming
10. “Attempting” to draw / sketch

That’s about it…

SLT IP TV – a real revolution in entertainment in Sri Lanka

Went for the launch of SLT IP TV yesterday, and was certainly blown away by what they offer.

In addition to the standard Live TV they offer Time Shift TV where you can go back and watch programs that you missed, with options to rewind or fast forward at any point of time. Further the video on demand facility where you can pick a movie which you would like to watch is something new to pay TV in Sri Lanka.

The picture quality wasn’t that great, but I was told that this was due to the fact that it was still in the phase of testing.

Additional perks include the fact that you can watch TV even when it’s raining (a big draw back of satellite TV).

Dates for commercial launch haven’t been finalized yet apparently. They promise that the installation fee (set up box and router) will cost less than the satellite dish and set up box installation fee. Rentals also are to be lower than the satellite TV rates at present.

So they seem to be offering one heck of a deal and Dialog TV will have to conjure up something serious now to stay in business. This will be tough for DTV with the limitations of satellite broadcasting.

The launch is on at the BMICH for a couple more days I think. So if you’re in the vicinity just pop by and take a look.