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Specific attack on random subjects
By Ayesha Inoon
As the country prepared to decide its future, on election eve, a momentous occasion took place at the BMICH with the launch of the book “Random Thoughts” by Renton de Alwis, a former chairman of the Tourist Board. The book is a collection of the thought-provoking series of articles he contributed during 2003/2004 to The Sunday Times FT, under the pseudonym RAM-Random Access Memory.

The melodious strains of Amaradeva’s special rendition of the Saraswati Pooja and an enchanting performance on the sitar and drums by Pradeep Ratnayake and his team of musicians set the tone for the evening of Random Thoughts which culminated in a lively discussion of the needs and difficulties of our times.

As Kumara Chapa Bandara, the Editor of the Nidahas newspaper, and the initiator of the Free Lanka Media Movement-to which the book is dedicated-said in his speech on “Why are we here?” it is a time when the entire world is in a state of conflict which is largely due to the silence of intellectuals and artistes the world over. He said that the book is an attempt to break that silence as the articles compel us to think and discuss the pressing issues we face.

Samanthika de Alwis, who had arrived from San Francisco especially for the launch of her father’s book, said it was typical of his attempt to “fix things all the time” rather than dwell on the negativity of what was going on around him.According to Chandra Jayaratne, former President of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce the book is a reflection of what is embedded in the author’s mind, whom he refers to as a free-lancer, thought provoker, and man of action. He said that there were two main aspects of the book-the first being the philosophy of Sri Lanka Inc-a phrase coined by Renton for the globalization of Sri Lanka as a single entity. The second was the reflection of ‘Ape kama’, the national interest before self-interest. He expressed the hope that the leader elected by the country would read the book to pick up the gems that were in it.

In the author’s own words, the articles in the book “ gave me an outlet to let off my disgust at what is happening around me. The blatant waste of resources and opportunities angers me.” As he delivered his speech on “How random were Random Thoughts?” he admitted the truth that, in fact, they were not. It was his attempt to turn his anger against the events around him into an expression of love and hope. The Randomness was rather in the variety of topics he chose, which ranged from Corporate whistle blowers to Our mothers and sisters working abroad.

The open discussion on the times we live in, moderated by Feizal Samath, Business Editor of The Sunday Times, paved the way for many ideas and suggestions expressed by the audience, such as the reasons behind the narrow thinking of people, and the need for change to begin at home, and mainly among the younger generation-ending the unique launch by giving each one present a thought to carry home.

New British Asian writing at BC’s Book Buzz
The British Council’s Book Buzz introduces contemporary UK and Sri Lankan creative writers to our audiences. This time’s Book Buzz on November 24 at 6.30 p.m. at the British Council features New British Asian Writing which was showcased at The Cambridge Seminar on Contemporary Literature held in Britain in July.

Dr. Neluka Silva was sponsored by the British Council to attend this conference and shared ideas on literature, media, cultural production and translation with contemporary British-Asian writers. The conference was structured as seminars, films and social events with a particular focus on translation and new writing from Britain. The most interesting aspect of this event was the exposure to the diversity of contemporary writing in Britain.
Book Buzz will thus feature the works of writers such as Hari Kunzru, Kamila Shamsie, Nadim Aslam, Panos Karnezis and Monica Ali, making it evident that literature in Britain has changed, and is now very much multi-cultural, multi-ethnic writing that can no longer be termed “migrant” writing, but very much a part of British writing.

Selected excerpts from these authors’ books will be read and enacted by Rohan Ponniah, Azira and Sabrina Esufally and others. This event is open to all on a first-come-first-served basis.

Breaking free from the known dance
Tell us about your workshop and rehearsals?
It was a big challenge and a remarkable experience. My dancers had not been exposed to any type of dancing. As a result, they were open minded and very keen to experiment. I was lucky enough to be exposed to different schools of dancing, like the Up-country and Performing Arts under the Channa - Upuli Performing Arts School and classical ballet under Oosha Saravanamuttu and my very recent experience in Germany.

The big responsibility was to do a production in a given time with these young people. But now that I faced the challenge, I am proud of the result. I only had my training in dance, to back me all the time.

Did you do the choreography for this production?
Yes. Before I started to work with them I gave them exercises for one and half hours and we did about ten minutes meditation, concentrating on one’s own body. After that, I asked them to behave like how they would, doing day-to-day activities, very simple things like sitting on the chair, watching television, eating chocolate or special events like going to a funeral house etc. It is from these that I could find some elements of the movements and combine them together. On the 22nd of August we had a presentation from this phase of the workshop activities at Goethe Institute for a few critics and friends and everybody was most encouraging.

Was everyone impressed?
No. Some of the critics very quickly saw that it was something and were able to accept it. Others, who are used to dance, that relates stories, were rather lost. People expect a message or a ballet that will convey moods, sentiments and a story. The fact that ours did not depict a scene or relate a story like in Bharata Natyam or classical ballet, was a little odd for some while others missed music with a beat.

Nobody gets upset when visual artists draw abstract art: For example, art which is composed of black and white squares is accepted as art, if they follow the grammar of painting, but when it comes to dance, which is also a visual medium, people insist on a story or demand music to back it.

Most of the critics were impressed by how we used space and minimalist movement. Minimalism is accepted in interiors, architecture, painting and sculpture but when it comes to dance movements people are still not used to minimalism.

Was it not difficult for you to work with people who have not been exposed to dance?
Not at all. It was much easier to work with them than with dancers. For example, if you have people who have studied dancing for a long time, it is a bit difficult to take them out of the framework they are used to. I don’t mean it is impossible, but it takes a longer time. But these young people were keen to experiment with their bodies or do something different that was closer to their life’s experience.

How did they react to this type of unorthodox training with no choreographer telling them how and what to do all the time?
In the beginning the exercises were a little bit difficult for them, but after a while they got used to it and liked it very much.
All that initial scepticism was gone after a few weeks of keen training. Some of them told me they felt more relaxed with their body than earlier .

Is that not one of the prerequisites of modern dance?
Exactly, very few choreographers believe in a relaxed body and mind as a basis.

Do you believe that one can introduce this kind of dance to Sri Lanka?
I strongly believe that our Sri Lankan young people are talented. Unfortunately, they seldom get the freedom to experiment in the class and get to know their own body. Through the exercise and lots of practices the creative energy in them can be liberated. Our healing rituals have a variety of body movements, so we can study them and be inspired in a different manner without copying them.

Do you have your own theatre?
Yes it is called Natanda Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka.

How big is your dance theatre?
I have chosen 14 dancers for the moment. We perform not only dance theatre but also for commercial events, because dancers need money to survive.
Our next programme will be at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on February 10 and 11, 2006. This is a quite different from what we are doing at the Goethe Institute. This dance show is called MOKABALO.

How does this dance style differ with our dance tradition in Sri Lanka?
Under the pressure of our tradition, the body has lost many of its experimental levels. When you use your body for dancing, you have to adapt something, and it has to accept certain modes of bodily experience and reject others.

How does the dancer move within the levels of experience and what should we call this type of dancing?
The primary intention of such dance is not expression, but rather the deepening of the dancer’s own experience of himself and his relationship to the world. In its expression it strives to convey this experience to the audience. This kind of dance could be considered both a project of self and expression.

A duo brings sounds from many lands
The flute and piano make a lovely combination and audiences in Kandy and Colombo will have the rare opportunity this week to hear a full concert recital of these two instruments performed by two accomplished musicians from The Netherlands.

Flautist Eleonore Pameijer and pianist Marcel Worms, will present a beautiful and interesting programme “Music of Many Lands”, in which classical European works will be contrasted with recent contemporary music of different continents. They will be performing in Kandy on Wednesday, November 23 at 6.30 p.m. and in Colombo on Thursday 24 at 7.15 p.m.

Schumann’s passionate romanticism representing the Middle-European, German culture will be heard in his Three Romances. This will contrast clearly with the light and transparent writing of the French composers Faure (Fantasy), Ravel (Habanera) and Poulenc (Sonata) which betrays their Mediterranean heritage.
Eleonore and Marcel say, “It is a pity that in much contemporary music it is hard to determine the part of the world a work comes from.” Concerned with this trend towards global sameness, and wanting to champion cultural diversity, they invited composers from all six continents, between 2002 and 2005, to write a flute-piano piece for them in which the author’s cultural identity is clearly heard.

Some of these diverse compositions will be performed in Colombo and Kandy. The new work “Sangeetha Bindu” by Lalanath de Silva is based on folk tunes of Sri Lanka. Sinta Wullur shows her Indonesian roots, Giloberto Mendes elements from the Brazilian bossa-nova, Chiel Meyering of the Netherlands shows his rockmusic background with typical Dutch irony while Surinam-born, Dutch composer Ronald Snijders will take the listener to a Caribbean party…
Eleonore Pameijer studied flute at the Amsterdam Conservatory where she received her solo diploma cum laude. She followed master classes in USA with the legendary French flautist Marcel Moyse, studied with Severino Gazzeloni at the Accademia Chigiana (Italy) and followed special courses for Baroque Music amongst others with Ton Koopman.

In 1984 Eleonore gave her debut recital in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and was prize winner of the Franck Martin competition. In 1985, she became principal flautist of the ASKO/Schoenberg-Ensemble, one of the leading 20th century music ensembles in Europe. She has performed as soloist with many orchestras and ensembles led by conductors such as Oliver Knussen and in almost every European country, Canada and the USA.

Several flute concertos have been written especially for Eleonore, and the Dutch publishing house Donemus has published two books with solo flute repertoire all composed for her.

Marcel Worms also studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory, specializing in 20th –Century piano music and in chamber music. After receiving his degree he premiered early piano works of Arnold Schoenberg and performed the complete piano works of Leos Janacek (including a four-hand piece he discovered in Brno).

His programmes, Jazz in 20th Century Piano Music, were broadcast nation-wide by Dutch radio and subsequently performed in many European countries, North America, Russia, South Africa and Indonesia. His programme ‘Blues for Piano’, to which many well-known composers contributed, was premiered in January 1997 at the ‘BIMHUIS’ Jazz centre in Amsterdam.

Marcel has created a concert programme of music from the time of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. The Washington Post wrote of his concert in the National Gallery of Art in Washington: “All this was virtuoso fare and Worms played it with joy, grace and, at times, humour that was contagious and captivating”.

In his 1998-1999 season Marcel Worms focused on Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso and their relation to music. Both projects resulted in CD recordings.

Entrance programmes can be obtained in Kandy by calling Bridget Halpe of the Kandy Music Society on 081 2239113 for the concert at the Girls’ High School Hall. The concert in Colombo will be at the Russian Centre from where entrance programmes are available. The principal sponsor of the concerts is The Royal Netherlands Embassy.

Brittany of yesterday and today
An exhibition titled: “Brittany, the Kingdom of the Stones”, by Janine Guillaume will be on at the Alliance française de Kandy from November 25 to December 2.
Brittany is first and foremost under the sign of stone. And stone appears in the legends and history of Brittany, as the chief means of expression of its successive inhabitants.

Of the obscure people who have followed one another down through the ages, traces remain which are relatively simple to decipher – the graves, the bones, the rudimentary pots and weapons, and others which are completely illegible. What could they have been used for, what exactly did they mean, all these underground chambers, cromlec’hs, dolmens, standing stones, rising ironically like markers?

The confused worship of the stones has survived all the Celtic ups and downs, and survived so long it was necessary to Christianize the menhirs by carving on them a cross and the instruments of the Passion, just as the Romans had tried to impose on them the image of their gods.

“My photographs, accompany you to the country of parish closes, along legendary lanes which are lined with holy fountains, carved clock towers, splendid chapels, roadside crosses and granite calvaries,” says Janine Guillaume.

“For many years, people have become aware of the richness of our patrimony, and at the same time of its fragility. All my photographs – focusing exclusively on the Armorican peninsula, the “Finistère” (Land’s end) - depict the Brittany of today, full of authenticity, but equally the Brittany of yesterday rich in its rites and customs, stories and legends,” she says.

Voices behind the sounds of the masters
By Marisa de Silva
A diverse group of talented people coming together in the name of music, the Cantata Singers under the very able music direction of their beloved “Uncle Babi” (Satyendra Chellappah), presents ‘Music of Masters’, on November 26, at 7 p.m., at the Ladies College Chapel.

This bi-annual performance presented by the 38-year-old ‘Cantata Singers’ is a much looked forward to date for classical music lovers. For the first time in Sri Lanka, the works of German composer Georg Philipp Telemann will be sung by the choir. Telemann’s musical adaptation of Psalm 117 has been widely accepted as a remarkable attempt to explore a simpler or less ponderous baroque exposition of that era, says Mr. Chellappah. However, the decorative grandeur has been sustained and affords the voice an opportunity to sing with clarity and capability which otherwise would have required a complicated technique.

The major work is a collection of dramatic arias and choruses from Mendelssohn. The elaborate musical structure of each aria or chorus is expressed through the cleverness of changes in key.

One of the highlights of the evening will be the ‘Cantata Singers’ introduction of young chorister, Asanka Perera (20), in his debut as a conductor in Mozart’s ‘Alma Dei Creatoris’. It is a prominent example of the style Mozart preferred to adopt in writing his Masonic Music which is different to his religious motets, arias, masses and operas.

A past pupil of S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, Asanka says “music has always been a part of my life,” adding that he’d been singing from the time he was quite young. His love for classical music originated from his days in the College choir (since the age of seven) where they had sung mostly classical pieces, under the guidance of choirmaster Russel Bartholomeusz. Now following a degree in Computer Engineering, Asanka is currently a pupil of Ruwani Seimon under whose training he’s an Associate of Trinity College London. However, having sung with the ‘Cantata Singers’ as a bass for about three years now, he hopes to keep singing with them as long as he can.
Former winner of the Young Performer’s Competition organised by the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, young tenor Asitha Tennekoon (20) will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s “Hear My Prayer” and “He Counteth All Your Sorrows” at the concert.

He started off his musical lessons at the age of six under Christine Perera and now training under Menaka de Fonseka Sahabandu, hopes to pursue his musical career in the future. Currently studying for his LLB, Asitha believes everyone has been given certain gifts to make use of, and is determined to do the best he can with what he’s been given. Asitha enjoys the fellowship amidst the choristers and “Uncle Babi’s” approach to training them.

Having settled down in Sri Lanka 11 years ago, after marriage, the Japanese born Erico Perera has always had a liking for classical music and will sing “O For The Wings Of A Dove” and “I Waited for the Lord” both by Mendelssohn, at the concert. Involved in fund raising for tsunami victims, by means of music, visiting camps regularly with her guitar she has also held a concert to raise funds for this cause and will be holding two more concerts in December both here and in Japan.

Having passed her Performers Certificate at the Trinity College, London she hopes to sit for her Associate Trinity College Licentiate (ACTL) this year as she would like to perform and eventually conduct voice training classes for children.

Dushyanthi Perera, a doctor by profession and a mother of two, says music is her mode of relaxation. She will sing Mozart’s ‘Alma Dei Creatoris’ and is also a part of the Mendelssohn’s Quartet “I Waited for the Lord”. Her two sisters Enoka Corea and Sharmini Wickramanayake too, will perform solos at the concert and are a part of the choir.

The multi-talented Akram Drahaman has been singing for the past 17 years, first with the Merry-An Singers and later with the ‘Cantata Singers’.
He plays the piano and guitar as well. “I like the strict harmonies we have to abide by when singing classical music but, also enjoy other types of music like jazz, which has a more versatile and experimental chord structure,” he said. As he’d been trained by “Uncle Babi” whilst he was a part of the Royal College choir, he joined the Cantata Singers, as he loved to sing. He will sing Mozart’s ‘Alma Dei Creatoris’ and Mendelssohn’s “I Waited for the Lord”.

Viranga Wickramanayake has been singing with the choir for the past 10-11 years. Having two sisters already in the choir at the time, he had simply followed suit. Having trained the Royal College Choir for about five to six years since he left school and still helping out when he has the time, Viranga will join in the quartet “I Waited for the Lord” and “Cast Thy Burdens Upon the Lord”, also by Mendelssohn. “Music is the most rewarding part of my life, outside of my work and I feel everyone needs to do something recreational to keep their sanity intact at least,” he says smiling.

Best known for her jazzy/blues voice and renditions of popular jazz hits, Shanelle Fernando, joined the group about two years ago and has participated in four of their previous concerts.

She will be a part of Mendelssohn’s Quartet, “Cast Thy Burdens Upon the Lord”. “The whole beauty of this group is that irrespective of age, we all connect musically and try our best to sound like one voice, as a choir is not about outshining one another but rather, to listen to and sing in sync with each other,” explains Shanelle.

The choir is supported by two talented accompanists, Nuwan Senaratne on piano and Premila Perinpanayagam on organ. Entrance is by programme available at the door.

East, West in one weave
By Dhananjani Silva
A special exhibition of Barefoot hand weaving designed to highlight the connection between the young Western culture of emerging new nations and the old worlds of Asia and Europe opens this week.

The exhibition celebrates a contemporary weaving together of the two, East and West, with Australian wool, which is known to be the world’s best hand-dyed wool. It is woven on handlooms in Sri Lanka in keeping with Barefoot’s designs and colours, wrapping and wafting east to west, to achieve the highest possible standards that Western and Asian cultures can seek.

“Four weeks ago we were walking through Rome from the Sistine Chapel to the Forum, (built 1300 years earlier) through ancient Rome and yet still a part of the normal life of the city. The day before we had spent hours in the Sistine Chapel viewing its newly cleaned colours and marvelling that in Barefoot’s 40-year- old palette of pink, orange, golden yellow and a bright cobalt blue there had always been the influence of Michelangelo. Now I wonder, how in the Australian weavings, we could convincingly link the past and the present, east and west,” says Barbara Sansoni, Chief Designer and Chairperson, Barefoot.
Meanwhile Barbara hopes that the upcoming wool exhibition “will be a success and confirm to the Aussies that East and West have been entwined culturally for a very long time”.

The event will feature hand woven shawls, coats, coverlets, wall hangings, hats, sofa covers etc,. “Since we use the cloth as it is without cutting and chopping, it is a very simple cut,” designer Preethi Hapuwatte tells us while draping a handwoven coat around her. “You can make use of the same product to decorate your walls too,” she adds with a smile.
This exhibition which is in appreciation of the two cultures will be held from November 23 to December 4 at the Barefoot Gallery.

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