A treat of Russian masterworks dedicated to our very own Maestro
The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka dedicated its “ Russian Masterworks” concert, held on November 5 to Pandit W.D. Amaradeva who passed away at the age of 88 two days prior to the concert.
Chairperson of the SOSL, Sharmini Wettimuny opened the concert with a dedication to the revered musician saying, “The SOSL notes with great sadness the recent demise of Pandit W.D. Amaradeva. The Orchestra has had the privilege of having him perform as a vocal and violin soloist with the orchestra some years ago. More recently, at the SOSL’s Christmas concert last year, he added lustre to the event by attending it as its Chief Guest. Pandit Amaradeva’s creative works represent the peak of achievement in the evolution of Sri Lankan music. We dedicate our concert of Russian Masterworks to the memory of this great musician”.
A minute of silence marked the respect of all gathered for this Sri Lankan icon.
The Russian Masterworks concert proved a gem of a treat for classical music afficionados. In particular the guest pianist Maxim Puryzhinskiy’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no 2 in C minor was just spectacular. The SOSL’s much- prized grand piano sang from deep within its depths as the soloist’s fingers rippled over the keyboards – many commented that they have never heard such a deep rich sound from this very instrument.A testament to Puryzhinskiy’s power and technique. The pianist also displayed typical Russian passion and emotion as he played, ending up rosy-cheeked and dishevelled at the end of the magnificent turn and earning a standing ovation from our usually reticent Colombo audience.
The Orchestra backed Maxim admirably, conducted by their own Dushyanthi Perera, who stood in at the very last minute as the guest conductor, Ksenia Zharko of Moscow, fell ill the previous night and could not perform. Dushyanthi showed her versatility and talent in stepping in at short notice and ably directing the Orchestra who played with power and depth and complemented the talent of the soloist with their own effort and dedication.
For the second half of the performance Maxim, himself a graduate of Moscow State Conservatory music college, stepped in as guest conductor and took the Orchestra through a charming rendition of short set pieces from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, followed by the poignant Adagio from Khachaturian’s Spartacus ballet and closing with the short but energetic Sabre Dance from the ballet Gayane by the same composer.
The SOSL has gone from strength to strength in recent years, playing a challenging variety of classical music and also moving into the much appreciated annual SOSL “ POPS” concerts. Exposure to artistes such as Maxim and Ksenia (who has guest- conducted the SOSL previously) has no doubt inspired our local classical musicians to reach for ever-improving heights, and certainly provides us, their audience, with performances to remember. To quote sponsor and chief guest, Mohan Tissanayagam, on this occasion, our “ sincere thanks to the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, …and the piano soloist Maxim Puryzhinskiy for giving us this opportunity to experience and enjoy that which cannot be expressed with words!”