Philharmonic Choir returns with Amirthanathan to perform ‘Alleluia’
Colombo’s oldest performing choir, the Colombo Philharmonic Choir (CPC), will present a programme of sacred classical music titled ‘Alleluia’, after regrouping under the baton of its new conductor, Harin Amirthanathan. The performance will take place on Saturday, November 17 at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Polwatte.
Amirthanathan first joined the Philharmonic choir in 2006 under the direction of Manilal Weerakoon,who was its Director for over 15 years.
“During his tenure Manilal ensured that the choir consistently performed at a high standard the classical repertoire we are known for,” says Sharmini Wikramanayake, President of the Executive Committee of CPC. “And this was despite the pressures of changing views of both singers and audiences.”
“When I joined, the most interesting thing for me was to be able to sing these well known, rich classical works with a chamber orchestra,” says Amirthanathan. The first concert he sang in with the Philharmonic Choir was a performance of the Mass No. IV in F major by J. M. Dreyer, in November 2007. The now 63-year-old choir took a brief hiatus in 2016 and then got back in touch with Amirthanathan with an invitation to conduct the choir, under the patronage of Manilal Weerakoon.
“I honestly didn’t know how to say yes,” he says. Along with the excitement of the invitation came the sense that “it seemed like a huge responsibility”. “The choir had had a long line of reputed directors,” he explains. “But at the end of the day, it also made sense for me to say yes. This choir is dedicated to classical music, and this is my forte. I am a theory-and-analysis sort of musician. So, this seemed to be the best opportunity for me to put my training and previous experience to work.”
The Colombo Philharmonic Choir was formed in 1955, under the patronage of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and the baton of Principal Conductor Prof. Gerald Cooray. Cooray later served as Patron of the choir, as well as British composer Benjamin Britten. The choir has performed Bach’s ‘St. Matthew’s Passion’ at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, alongside Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten in 1956. Beginning 1975, the choir was conducted by the most well- known conductor it has had – Kalasuri Lylie Godridge – until his demise in 1998. The choir also lists Paul M. Jayarajan and Mary Anne David among its past Conductors.
Throughout its life, the CPC has stayed true to its original purpose, which is the “practice and performance of choral works of excellence of various schools”. Amirthanathan takes this mandate seriously and plans to follow Weerakoon’s example. After the two-year hiatus, the choir was reconvened with a new Conductor and Patron. They re-auditioned everyone.
“I wanted to start from scratch,” Amirthanathan says. “I needed to know what each voice was like, because this is my raw material.”
The choir, is now a group of 30 musicians from five nationalities, all with five to ten years of experience in choral performance.
He was apprehensive about the response, but the executive committee was very supportive. “He has a lot of experience with multiple genres of music,” Sharmini explains the choice of the Executive Committee. “But we also felt that CPC has been close to his heart from the time he joined at just 18.”
Now 30, Amirthanathan is the youngest person to be appointed to the position of Conductor of the CPC. He is also currently Director of the jazz and contemporary group Contempo, Chorusmaster for the Chorale of the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, Choirmaster at St. John’s College and Chundikuli Girls’ College in Jaffna and Director of Vox One, “where it all started”.
Amirthanathan is determined to work towards the vision of the CPC’s founder Conductor, Gerald Cooray, continue that of its last conductor, Weerakoon, and at the same time expand its library and repertoire. “I’m excited for this concert because of the opportunity to introduce the choral works of Randall Thompson,” he says of the ‘Alleluia’ from which the programme gets its name and ‘The Last Words of David’.
The choir will perform William Byrd’s Haec Dies for six parts and works of Thomas Tallis. The main feature of the performance on the 17th evening is ‘Messe Solennelle Op. 16’ by Louis Vierne, which requires two organs.
“The mass is beefy and challenging to the organist,” says Denham Perera, Organist for the evening, commenting on the selection of music. “It really puts instrument and player through their paces. There is also the calm and colourful organ interlude ‘Adagio in G minor’ by Tornaso Albioni which lets me show off the individual divisions of the organ. And then back to the grand and regal ‘I was Glad when they said unto me’ by C. Hubert H.Parry – this concert is something I’m really going to enjoy playing for.”
“We’ve now had about four months of rehearsal, and when we finally sang with the organ, I realized that the concert is not just about the choir,” said Amirthanathan. “We are really intermingling. It’s a real conversation between the organ and the choir and things are falling nicely into place.”
The performance will begin at 7 p.m. and entrance will be by programme priced at Rs. 1000 which can be purchased by calling 0777702642 and making a reservation. Programmes will also be available at the door.