Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Truly a celebration!
By Anushika Gunawardana
The German novelist Berthold Auerbach once said that “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” And that’s exactly how I felt when the last few notes and voices died out as Celebrating Wales came to an end.
Celebrating Wales was a concert organised by the Past Pupils’ Association of Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, featuring Soul Sounds. The aim was to celebrate last year’s great achievement when the senior choir of HFC was placed first runners-up in the youth category at the prestigious Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, held for the 58th time. The choristers are now past pupils, but their shared love of music has brought them together in the form of the choral group, Soul Sounds. Indeed, the concert was proof as to how they came to be thus recognised. There were also several new voices as well.

The show was a well-chosen blend of powerful voices, melodious tunes, vivid costumes and swinging dancing. Oh yes, there was quite a bit of dancing, clapping and finger snapping too!

The pieces performed had a finely-balanced variety; there were pop songs, Broadway musical pieces and songs from different languages. It showcased the versatility of a choir able to handle different types of pieces, and still keep their momentum. A word has to be said about the sense of energy that came through to the audience, through the lively expressions of the choristers.

The show started off with a medley from one of the most celebrated composers of twentieth century America – Irving Berlin. Dressed in smart top hats, the choir set the jazzy beat for the evening with “America”. Later on, there were many other hit songs interspersed with spiritual favourites performed with passion: “Thy Word” (a jazzed up version accompanied by some intricate clapping), “Trials And Tribulations”, “Oh Happy Day” taken from the movie Sister Act 2, a Latin choral arrangement of the choral music educator Kirby Shaw (accompanied by two lovely couples which reminded one of how intertwined music and dancing is, for one often complements the other), “Something Stupid” (Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole) and Blue Bayou (Roy Orbinson). Many of these tracks are classics sure to have got some going down memory lane, while introducing the younger generations to a world of great music.

There was also a lively rendition of a cappella with a little humour thrown in, which came via the throaty, animal sounds made by these enterprising choristers, which were a matching counterpart to the track “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (Chuck Mangione).

One of the highlights of the concert was the rendition of a Tamil and a Sinhala song. The Tamil song was the melodious “Chinna Chinna Aasai” from the movie Roja, and then there was the perennial favourite at weddings, “Mangala Mohotha” (Mignone Fernando). It was a thoughtful touch and improvisations made with the latter in terms of harmonising spoke of a bold effort to bring a different sound to it.

Another focal point of Celebrating Wales was the Mamma Mia choral highlights, which included hits such as “Mamma Mia”, “Take A Chance On Me”, “Thank You For The Music”, “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo”. For an all-time Abba fan like me, the familiar songs, accompanied by smoothly orchestrated movements, were simply a treat.

The junior choir was made a part of the celebration with “Candle On The Water”. The choir of St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa made a guest performance, and most notably, sang Josh Groban’s hit “You Raise Me Up”. The baritones were deep and heartily delivered.

It was refreshing to see a number of choristers take the stage on their own. It showed that each had a unique sound, with their different pitches and intonations. There was Dinushka Jayawickreme, who was placed second in the solo category at the Wales festival, singing “Smile” (Nat King Cole) and “People” (Barbara Streisand). Melody Perera sang “God Help The Outcasts” (from Hunchback Of Notre dame), Shehara Liyanage with “When I Fall In Love” (Natalie Cole), and Ruwangi Cooray with “Love Changes Everything” (Sarah Brightman). Interspersed with the choral arrangements, these voices brought a sense of great harmony and peace.

They exuded romance and compassion, and made one feel the deep emotional resonance that these tracks carry. Dinushka Jayawickreme and Shehara Liyanage, joined for a duet to perform “The Prayer” (Celine Dion’s duet with Andrea Bocelli), in a mix of Italian and English. A wonderful achievement, considering the ease with which they handled that lovely, yet complicated song.

The show ended on a resounding note, for they had chosen a medley from the classic family musical Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat as their send-off piece, in keeping with the evening’s tone of dance and rhythm. Bringing to mind one of the world’s greatest combinations in the form of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, the medley (including “Any Dream Will Do”) also displayed Soul Sounds at its most responsive, in terms of how they handled the demanding and quick turns and twists the music took. And what a riot of colour it was too!

There were various types of funky head-gear that brought a smile to many a face, for the sheer shine it all gave off. Of course, none of this would have been possible without Soundarie David, who was constantly in line with the choristers (as needs be), guiding them with either a smile, a wave of the hand or a shake of the head; all while playing the piano as well.

Overall there certainly was an air of celebration, as was the objective of Celebrating Wales. What was beautiful was the well-thought out musical arrangements and selections (vocal and show-wise) made to embrace an audience of wide-ranging tastes. What was even more beautiful was the collective voice of Soul Sounds. They left a powerful impression on many a mind, and were indeed able to wash off the dust from those everyday, mundane cares.

Celebrating Wales was co-sponsored by Ceylon Cold Stores and a well-wisher. Electronic media sponsors for the event were MTV, YES FM, Classic Radio, while the print media sponsor was The Sunday Times.

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