An evening of music that enriched my stay
View(s):By Zan Strumfeld
March 3 kicked off as a lazy morning for me with grocery shopping, catching up with friends for a dip in the pool with the sun out and a fabulous high tea. I had to attend a much talked about show in the evening and my diplomat friends assured me that the concert would lift my spirits. I must confess the show was fulfilling, musically uplifting, inspiring and somewhat unbelievable to 540 people present at the Water’s Edge ballroom and approximately more than 2000 online viewers. To sum it up in one word: Wow!
Four years on: Rohan working the crowd and below left, Rohan and Ishan at their anniversary concert. Pix by Susantha Liyanawatte
I have been in Sri Lanka for three months exploring the beautiful island, its culture and have been to many concerts in Colombo produced by respected Colombo musicians. I was well informed by my friends that this concert would most certainly start on time unlike the others we had been to during the past months. As we were ushered into a romantic atmosphere created by a brilliant backdrop with the most unusual stage in the centre of the ballroom, a mouth watering seafood starter was awaiting us. The compere dressed exquisitely took the stage at 6.55 and brought on the brothers at 7p.m. They walked in singing ‘Marry me’ : I was awe-struck (I could not believe my ears) as these two guys gave a totally different dimension to this song by singing it in harmony.
Each and every song that followed was sung to perfection in harmony (which incidentally was sung solo by the original performers). The intricate harmonies had minor third’s, diminished and even augmented chords apart from perfect fourth’s and fifth’s as well. As much as the food served by Water’s Edge was sumptuous and the service exemplary the food for the soul (the music) of the De Lanerolle Brothers was unparallel to what I have heard internationally as they eased into their songs with little or no fuss. These guys may not have labels such as Sony or Decca backing them, but if they are exposed to such labels, I am certain that the Brothers will be a global attraction in no time.
What also struck me and amazed me as a musician and singing coach is that these two brothers opted for backing tracks against live music. With live music an artist has the comfort of making a mistake and being followed swiftly by the accompanying band but when a singer is exposed to backing track one has to be 110% certain of each entry and exit. The breath control they possess surely comes from their classical training and was evident in the phrase ‘nothing but blue sky’ in the song ‘I can see clearly now the rain is gone’, which was held on for a near 16 to 18 seconds in one breath!
Some of the songs that stood out for me that night were : ‘Love letters straight from your heart’, ‘Mama’, ‘The Prayer’, ‘Only you’ and ‘Love changes everything’. I felt that it was a mistake when they announced the song Mama by Il Divo as this is a huge undertaking trying to emulate the original sung by four tenors but they performed it to perfection other than the element of both of them twisting the words around towards the end of the piece, which also proved that they were indeed singing live and not miming as many current artistes do today.
Most certainly other than climbing Sigiriya rock and witnessing the rich heritage this beautiful island possesses along with its beaches and warm hearted people, something wonderful I would take back with me would be the fantastic evening produced by the De Lanerolle Brothers in style.
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