Pulling at heartstrings, Rukshan leads the way
View(s):By Shaveen Jeewandara
Hearing one of Sri Lanka’s most treasured compositions; ‘Olu Pipeela’ by Sunil Shantha, being played with a jazzy twist was indeed the perfect start to the night. It was a tricky task to pull-off a revered piece without maligning it, but Rukshan Perera, the multi-talented musician did just that with finesse – and the crowd roared their approval.
Rukshan: Great rapport with his audience. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
‘Rukshan Perera Live in Concert’ was a concert of diversity held on Sunday, January 20 at the Bishop’s College auditorium in aid of the Unity Mission Trust, a trust foundation that reaches out to all corners of the island, with the aim of reintegrating war-torn young ones back into society. The concert was a harbinger of great things to come for the children. Love was the theme that ran throughout the night as Rukshan, having a great personal affection for the kids in need, did the best on his part to raise funds through the strings of his guitar and the harmony of his voice.
Backed by Dulip Wijesinghe, (specially flown down from Hong Kong) on drums, Ray Gomez on the bass guitar and Harsha Makalanda on the piano, Rukshan had no boundaries when it came to the music.
The jazz compositions set the tone of the evening, but it was preceded by Rukshan’s very own YouTube hit “One Land for All”, backed harmoniously by ‘Choro Calibre’. It was evident that the composition was very close to his heart.
Adding a different twist all together, the de Lanerolle Brothers, Mahen and Prashalini Pieris, along with Rukshan performed nostalgic Sinhala hits from the past all sung acapella.
The flamboyant pocket-rocket, Rajitha of Misty was up next, joining Rukshan in an energetic performance of ‘What time is it?’ – one of Rukshan’s original compositions. The ambience was clearly not that of a typical charity concert, as crowd interaction hit a high, with Rukshan pausing for the punch-line. ‘Aunty gossip’ then took to stage putting on a side-splitting act to accompany the song that Rukshan had dedicated to one of his aunts ‘who never put the phone down’.
Taking the stage by storm was Ruwan Weerasekera, striking captivating notes with his violin along with Lelum Ratnayake on percussion. A mini duel took place on stage with Ruwan on the violin, and Rukshan strumming the guitar.
Noeline Honter joined in on the fun as well, while the Colombo Brass Ensemble played to the beat. The latter stages of the show were dominated by astounding performances by the 12-year-old twins, Sarith and Surith – with jaw-dropping riffs of some of the best rock songs going back decades.
International award winning choral group ‘Revelations’ were up next, performing near flawless acapella renditions of baila hits that appeal to all Sri Lankans.
What set the concert apart, was that it showcased an interesting variety; from jazz to original English compositions, to rock and good old baila. The phrase ‘getting your money’s worth’ could not have been put to better use as ‘Rukshan live in concert’ was a win-win situation of donating to a cause much in-need as well as getting an evening of musical value.
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