SOSL’s Blüthner concert grand steals the spotlight
Swathed in a circle of light sitting elegantly on centrestage was an imposing yet utterly beautiful Blüthner concert grand piano, ready to finally become a fully fledged ‘member’ of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka.
Ramya and Soundarie opening the concert and below Chari de Silva with President of the Players Committee Dilrukshi Wiratunga
One of the big four world famous pianos, standing proudly alongside the legendary Steinway, Bösendorfer and Bechstein pianos, this Blüthner, a gift from long standing supporter of the SOSL Chari de Silva and his family, finally arrived to take its rightful place as the Grande Dame of the SOSL.
Soundarie David-Rodrigo and Ramya De Livera Perera began a delightful two-hour performance by the players of the SOSL, who clearly showed their prowess on multiple instruments and varied genres with the Blüthner being the star of the evening.
In fact it was Ramya who first played on this Blüthner back in 2014 at the initial Music from the Movies, at a time when the regular piano was under repair.
It was later performed on by Maxim Puryzhinskiy when he played Schumanns Piano Concerto. This exclusive Players’ Concert for an invitees only audience, marked the formal acceptance by the SOSL as one of its very own.
With just the right dose of animation that Liszt beautifully wove into the typical Gypsy flavoured slow and fast improvisations, the concert couldn’t have started on a better note than with these two amazing pianists working the ivories together.
Never tiring of seeing Soundarie play piano, her rendition of Beethoven’s First Movement from Piano Sonata No 30 was beyond brilliant, as was she as an accompanist when she accompanied the leader of the SOSL violinist Thushani Jayawardena and lead trumpet Naveen Fernando during the concert.
Continuing the Hungarian flavour, Thushani worked the complex rhapsodical Czardas by Vittorio Monti with great aplomb, deftly working the ‘stopped’ technique brilliantly, while violinists Sulara Nanayakkara and Nilupul Silva joined pianist Yohan Peiris to joyously play yet another Csardas genre, which legend has it that Brahms mistakenly thought was a traditional folk song, Hungarian Dance No 5. And there was Naveen Fernando whose brass aptitude gave him great encouragement to open all doors to his trumpeting skills in Alexander Arutiunian’s Aria Et Scherzo.
Extraordinary soprano Meneka De Fonseka Sahabandu with Ramya De Livera Perera on piano was refreshing as they together made beautiful music with The Flower Song from Faust by C Gounod. Ramya’s solo Ritual Fire Dance from the ballet The Bewitched Love by Manuel de Falla had all the right thrills, excitement and exhilaration that one imagines would be inherent in a crowd frenzied fire dance.
SOSL’s strong string section was out in force at the concert. The Trout Quintet by Franz Schubert, which was published ten years after his death, brought forth violinist Mangala Abeysekera joining Thushani, Cellist Tamara Holsinger and Double Bassist Dushy Perera accompanied by Shanthi Dias on the Blüthner.
Tamara and Shanthi teamed up again for Le Cygne by Camille Saint-Saens, one of the best known Cello solos of all time. Tamara ensured that Le Cygne remains atop the list of best known Cello solos, imbuing the slow tempo and legato performance indications, the signature of that piece, with a pensiveness that was quite infectious.
The winds showed their dexterity too with Madeleine Dring’s Second Movement from Trio for flute, oboe and piano performed by SOSL’s lead oboe Hasitha Pathirana, flautist Anouk Obeysekera and pianist Harin Amirthanathan, maintaining the composer’s signature rhythmic wit and melodic structure with effortless ease.
In the finale, it was nice to have Dushy Perera, the conductor of the SOSL in her former spot of Cellist, playing in the Cantando Cello Quartet, joining Amila Abeysekera, Kamani Perera and Tamara, while Soundarie fittingly accompanied them on piano.
Libertango, a sultry tango by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla conjures dancing feet prompting romance on a warm moonlit night, but the undertones of jazz marrying hints of classical music makes it impossible to ignore that touch of the mischievous.
The evening was truly a fitting tribute to not only Chari de Silva but also to those many benefactors of the SOSL, whose generosity could be justly repaid by making heavenly music from the instruments that had been gifted.