ARTS
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Sequenza XIV: A new frontier in the sound of music A work composed for and performed by Rohan de Saram By
Chandri Peris in London His
compositions drew from several sources such as love songs and elegies
from across Europe, Central Asia, and popular songs of the 20th
century. He was also inspired by music from Iranian Kurdistan, Armenia,
Sardinia, and even composed a work based on Kandyan drum rhythms.
Critics have been known to say that his "music can yell with
joy or outrage, and croon quietly with grief". Some
of his major works need an entire orchestra, while other pieces
are composed for string quartets. There are compositions for solo
voices, choirs and for electronic sounds too. In fact, Luciano Berio's
work spanned almost the entire spectrum of the types of music and
instruments that can be found today. During
the UK premiere of Berio's work for cello and orchestra called "Ritorno
degli snovidenia", he was so impressed by the Sri Lankan cellist
Rohan de Saram that he wrote to him saying, "Your performance
of Ritorno is splendid. But besides Ritorno, your sound, your perfect
intonation, your phrasing and bowing techniques make you a great
performer of any music". This led to Luciano Berio composing
a specific piece titled Sequenza X1V (for cello) for Rohan de Saram.
Whilst rehearsing for Ritorno and having been in constant contact
with the musician from Sri Lanka, Luciano Berio became interested
in the rhythmic instruments and sounds of the Kandyan drum. He discussed
the technique involved in playing the Kandyan drum with Rohan de
Saram who had some expertise in the art of drumming himself. Berio
drew a comparison between the two instruments and looked at the
sounds they made from a point of creating something new. He then
worked towards a piece from the basis that the cello had four strings
and the drum had four distinct percussion sounds. He also listened
to tapes of Kandyan drumming and was provided with western-style
notation of the different rhythms, which were made for him by Rohan
de Saram. With all this material before him Luciano Berio went on
to compose Sequenza XIV. This
cello solo, which is about fifteen minutes in length, has changed
several times since it was premiered at Witten in 2002. It kept
being reinvented every time it was performed due to the ongoing
collaboration between these two artistes, which sadly ended with
the death of the composer in 2003. Rohan
de Saram (who now plays with the Arditti Quartet) performed the
final version to an audience who were mesmerized by the power of
Berio's composition and watched in complete awe at the intensity
and artistry of his playing. Here was a pure example of the music
of the future where two traditions had met and re-created a sound
that remained somewhat familiar yet totally new to our ears. This
remains the result of the type of artistic collaboration that those
of us in Sri Lanka very rarely witness. Sequenza X1V is an example
of Berio's ideal of attaining a total synthesis of sound by incorporating
the instruments of diverse cultures and it was triumphantly achieved
by Rohan de Saram's execution. It was music that appealed to the ears, hearts and minds of those who seek something pure and are not afraid to experience the unknown. Two worlds united by compassion A jungle
where survival is the name of the game is the backdrop to this story
which can be enjoyed by young and old alike. The
breathtaking scenic beauty of this island lends itself to the theme
of "metta" and "karuna' (loving kindness), two precepts
of Buddhism, which are the themes of this film. This is similar
to Christian love and charity. Perhaps it is the language of compassion
which is universal. Man
and animal have to co-exist and so have the Veddah and son (Tikiri)
and the Buddhist priest and his acolyte (Sumedha). Sedris,
the Veddah lives by hunting and he is burdened with the responsibility
of feeding his two families. He skins and sells the raw meat of
deer and other animals to the villagers. But he does follow a hunter's
code and scolds his son for using a catapult to hurt a bird. Predictably,
the two children are drawn to each other and frolic amid the waterfalls
and trailing creepers, swinging their days away. The carefree world
of children is no respecter of persons, speaking a language of universal
love. Each
child's mentor reminds the boy of adult responsibilities and limits
that divide the hunter's world and that of the priest. Could the
two ever share and care, especially when Sedris stops at nothing
to drive the priest out of the jungle? The
story unfolds with the children in the audience laughing at the
antics of the hunter who plays on popular myth and superstition
yet gradually alienates the villagers by hounding the priest. Yet
there are tears in the eyes of the priest as the hunter confesses
that he is no better than the animals he hunts. The
priest forgives and forgets and gives Sediris chance after chance
until finally the hunter is converted when he is caught in his own
animal trap and it is the priest who shares his food with Sediris'
families. All
religions preach love and compassion and this film is a beautiful
example of how a simple story can be used to convey the powerful
message of religious tolerance through Buddhism. Sirohmi Gunesekera Plunge into wide spaces of paint An
Exhibition of Paintings by Rahju Paintscapes;
this is the term Rahju uses for his work which will be on view at
the Finominal Space Gallery from May 14 to June 30. Rahju says he
has given this name to the paintings because they are essentially
about nothing but paint. Paint that opens up, or invites the viewer
in to a 'scape'. Using pure colour and masterly brush strokes, Rahju
creates evocative and atmospheric overlays of colour, punctuated
with expressive marks or strokes that hold attention in a suspended,
silent, or even meditative way. Meditative
qualities are obvious in this work, even more than in his earlier
paintings, and it is through this path that Rahju has arrived at
this form. Abstract, non-verbal paintings are to the artist the
parallel to the meditative state of being without mind, or uninvolved
in the thinking process, remaining in a mysteriously sensual-aesthetic
dimension. It
is from this area of indefinable feeling that the artist gathers
his inspiration, the root signals of what is to be manifest, and
then crystallizes it on canvas through a spontaneous unhindered
creative process between the artist and the work, as it manifests
itself. In fact the artist claims that at the end of a painting,
the feeling is more as if the painting 'made itself' rather than
having been forced into existence by the will of the painter. To
Rahju, this 'having been made on its own' is the fulfilling experience
he is after. To him it is a kind of grace, or a connection with
a large force, which he calls, in his own terms of Indian bhakti;
"the river of creativity, the river we call Saraswati."
Though
each canvas in this show is different and singular, a common resonance
is found amongst them, and echoes from one canvas to another, re-asserting
and amplifying the underlying feeling that the artist is pulling
us towards. This
feeling is of universality, of coming from the beyond. Though
individually unique, they feel as if they all come from the same
universal source. And that is the strongest and most convincing
element in these paintings. M.J.Vartaman ‘Look at it, grapple with it and then interpret it’ By
Marisa de Silva Pushpakumara
remembers having watched his elder brother, (now an art instructor),
paint when he was young. This, he claims, may have triggered his
own love for art, at an early age. Having earned a degree in Painting
and Sculpture at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies and Diploma
in Archaeology at the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, both
from the University of Kelaniya, Pushpakumara has explored his passion
for art for the past 20-25 years. "An
artist must have a comprehensive knowledge of both art history and
the latest developments in the world of art," he says. This
knowledge will be useful no matter what type of art one intends
to specialize in, he says. Acrylic based semi-abstract art being
his speciality, Pushpakumara portrays his critical observations
on contemporary society. It's
more of an unbiased matter-of-fact view, rather than a slanted,
judgement on society and its behaviour patterns, he says Pushpakumara adds that the artist must give the viewer something to think about. The art lover must be able to grapple with the work and come to his/her own interpretation of it. |
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