A heavenly blend of voices and music
The magical sounds of choral singing and orchestral music raised us from the depths of our earthly abode to the realms of heaven. ‘The Church’s One Foundation’ -a programme of orchestral music and singing held at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour in Colombo on Saturday, July 29 was a combination of orchestra, choirs and solo singing by local and international artistes.
So many choristers and musicians from a variety of age groups and different choral and musical groups came together for this event held to support the Anglican Diocese to raise funds for the education of less privileged children.
Bishop of Colombo Dhiloraj Canagasabey and Vicar of the Cathedral Rev. Perry Brohier welcomed the congregation and delivered some moving prayers at the event. At the end of the programme the Bishop made some poignant remarks about the unfinished appearance of the Cathedral which symbolizes our unfinished lives and work. He also presented gifts of appreciation on behalf of the Cathedral to Conductor Battista Pradal and organists Dr Jonathan Clarke and Neranjan de Silva.
The evening saw some remarkable talents beginning with the de Lanerolle brothers and organist Neranjan de Silva (who always draw a crowd) together with the others, which resulted in the Cathedral being packed to the point where seats were difficult to find! Arriving at the Church at 5.30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. programme we found it almost impossible to find a vacant seat!
The conductor for the evening’s performance, Battista Pradal from Uderzo, Italy is the founder of “In Musica Gaudium” – a choir and string orchestra which is a combination of students, young and established musicians. Pradal is also a teacher and judges many international choral competitions.
Guest Organist for the evening Dr. Jonathan Clarke is a Bachelor of Arts honours graduate in music from Oxford University, and having worked at Nottingham University and Eltham College London, has had great experience as a solo organist performing in Europe and the UK.
Among the local stars was Ananda Dabare, a past leader of the Sri Lanka Symphony Orchestra and an active chamber musician, recitalist and dedicated teacher who has produced several talented violinists. His commitment to teaching the young musicians from many parts of the country has placed him in the position of Conductor of the Junior Symphony Orchestra.
Special mention must be made of Kavishka Ranasinghe, a very young violinist from Monaragala who became interested in western classical music at the age of 12 when he listened to Youtube performances and his father gifted him with a violin. He studied the violin under Asoka Jayawardena and found a place in the Junior Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka.
A grand gathering of choirs with organists Neranjan de Silva and Dr. Jonathan Clarke and below the Italian conductor Battista Pradal and the De Lanerolle Brothers. Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
The choir for this event was a wonderful mix of youth and older choristers – a combination of 215 participants made up of several school and other choirs such as Oktave and some members of the Cathedral Choir who joined together to form one choir for this occasion. The schools involved were St Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, Trinity College, Kandy, Bishop’s College Colombo, Ladies’ College Colombo, Wesley College Colombo and St. Joseph’s Colombo.Some outstanding solo items were performed by Michelle Senanayake and Peshali Yapa and of course Ishan and Rohan de Lanerolle – altogether a heavenly blend of voices! The orchestra too was an amalgamation of 44 musicians from different groups who joined together to form one ensemble.
The lighting was very effective and the colours on the cross in the centre of the altar area were mind-boggling. The two screens on either side of the ‘stage’ also provided those seated in the wings a good view of the participants during the programme.
Included in the programme were some familiar hymns – ‘Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer’, ‘O Worship the King’, ‘The Church’s One Foundation’, and ‘Can It Be’, and ‘How Great Thou Art’. These were sung in parts by the de Lanerolle Brothers, the Choir and the congregation. The music merged together and just glancing around one could see that those present were totally immersed in the music and singing. The performers received many ovations, so much so that at the end of the programme they sang the hymns‘How Great Thou Art’ and ‘Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer’ again with the gathering present passionately singing along. The melodic resonance of the music was raised not merely to the zenith of the Cathedral but right into our hearts. We were spiritually uplifted to experience such amazing music that embraced our hearts and souls. This was something absolutely spectacular.
We are most grateful to all those who organized and sponsored this magnificent programme, and to all those participants who put in so much effort to present this event, and sang and played with the utmost passion despite the sweltering heat. ‘The Church’s One Foundation’ is indeed a true example of unity and love which must be shared by all of us.