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Technique and
emotion, sobriety and frolic Further on that; were we not able to recall with fondness, those days when R.A. Spencer-Sheppard's proteges riveted audiences at many a venue and sanctum, as we swayed and hummed along enthusiastically with the iridescence of the bel canto tradition; with the likes of Lorraine, Bede, Lylie, Douglas, Iranganie, Aruna, Reggie and a little later, Claver and so many others? Raymond Adlam in a strikingly memorable, but lamentably short "golden age" in the 1960s, fostered some especially magical moments both on radio and on stage, and, an even earlier generation would have glowed with pride, at the magnificent vocal achievements of the legendary Hallock, who could hold his own basso alongside the finest in the world!! But, times have changed, and Preshi's show with Ronald had the attributes of an oasis in the desert. Moreover, they had skilfully crafted their exits and their entrances, and each who played the stage, did their many parts with verve and accomplishment, and presented a neat totality of an evening's "concert" which eclipsed whatever might be the definition of a mere "recital" of songs and arias. Importantly, too, it was an alluring meld of technique with emotion, and withal, an engaging balance of sobriety with frolic. Could anyone be curmudgeonly about such an evening?! Preshanthi Navaratnam is no stranger, but this was certainly her best yet. Her voice has mellowed and matured, and comes nearer a spinto at this moment of time, and her dramatic control is tellingly evident, as is her increasing mastery of the idiom. She just needs to develop a wee bit more in her projection. No doubt her versatility has been honed in the context of the realities of the professional stage in the UK where she is domiciled. One cannot be other than concerned as to what she could do next, to progress toward securing a passage to greater acclaim and recognition in an arena which offers little to people such as ours. For every Jessye and Barbara, there are hundreds of others who have fallen victim to the rancour of race, and Kiri was lucky, even though being so awesomely blessed. It appears that Jewish and Italian novices in the Operatic realm have a differently assisted flight -path to success. Ronald Samm's progress is also noteworthy, and certainly offers surprise too, since, with his considerable capacity and projection one would have assumed that his was a helden tenor, but, no; rather, we were confronted with a lyricism and charm that lingered long after the notes had faded. Fetching, but not overwhelming. From the opening phrases of his "Mattinata", one realized instantly, that he had the capacity to delight. He did it again and with winsome flair, in the other Neapolitan " Core 'ngrato" , where he negotiated a bit of a nail-biter at the coda, leading one to the equal realization that Ronald's stardom is yet ahead of him. Perhaps with more maturity and the advent of a darker, even heavier voice, his "Otello" (Verdi's) could offer even more to savour. [ Remember that Martinelli would not touch the part until he was past fifty!!!] Samm's midvoice is rich and resonant, and responds well, but, at times, his head-voice verges on fragility, albeit with volume, which, given more time, must settle. That notwithstanding, what a joy to have heard a singer (seen live, and in the flesh) with a full open throat, grand intonation, clarity in diction, mentally equipped with comprehension of the "physical" process in generating a beautiful singing voice, rather than us being treated to the constricted travesties that are too often the fare offered Sri Lankan audiences in the name of bel canto!! The evening belonged artistically as much to the aforementioned collaborators, for, what was done by them was unusual if not original. A few miniscule fluffs aside, they succeeded in creating a sumptuous aura to allow the singers full flight and free reign; fairly approximating the breadth of a full orchestra, ( and mind you, without even a suggestion of a conductor!!). This was achieved by an inspired mix of piano, violin, 'cello and French horn!. Ramya Perera extended her usual form at the piano, negotiating the leaps across genres with aplomb and warmth, never at a loss to provide the delicious fills and arpeggios, even beyond the composer's written arrangements. Ananda Dabare's violin, and Dushy Perera's 'Cello never intruded, and provided a sympathetically restrained but comely ornament to the proceedings, as did Manilal Weerakoon's horn- which came through to supply a welcome "bloom" to the sound- burnished but not brash. In the lighter
works that followed the interval, a second piano was added, where
Kamalini Samarakoon proved again that she has got what it takes
to aspire toward true musicianship. One must mention with respect,
that Manilal's re-writing of the score for this particular ensemble,
and especially in the show-tunes, showed a level of professionalism
that was a marvel. A specific example of this being the re-arrangement
of the score for the excerpts from Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess"
. Personally, I would have preferred if "Summertime" was
followed immediately by "Woman is a Sometime Thing" which
would have provided an artistic balance against the previous number;
however, Ronald Samm gave us, instead, "There's a Boat that's
leaving soon for New York", which offered no reason for complaint. |
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