After 17 years of music, the upcoming performance by The Revelations leaves this choral group feeling somewhat sentimental.
They could not have picked on a better theme- love- to express themselves, considering the hundreds of singers and songwriters who felt the urge to express themselves on the subject, between the 1920’s and today. Unfazed by the challenging task of sifting through a lengthy list of potential songs, The Revelations are confident that their selection will bring to the audience that little bit of extra magic that makes a song special.
In 1994, a few members of the group were put on the spot, asked to come up with a name for themselves in the five minutes before a show. Recalling a group by the name of Genesis- the first book of the Bible, the group decided that from then on they would be named after the last book of the Bible. “Since then,” says Sanjeev Jayaratnam- the group’s Choral Director- “we have done many concerts, but not one of them has been under any specific theme, which is why we decided that it would be fun to pick on a theme this time.”
As its name- Love Uninhibited- suggests, this performance is all about love in every sense of the word- with covers of songs by the Beatles, the Bee Gees, the Eagles, Elvis Presley, Michael Bolton and Stevie Wonder, among others. After an immensely successful show in Galle on July 17, the second staging of the show will take place on July 30 at 7 pm at the Lionel Wendt. A third performance of the show will take place in Kandy on August 20.
Listening attentively to the group’s acapella rendition of the Pink Panther theme complete with some impressive beat boxing and harmonizing, Sanjeev speaks of the decision made to perform the entire show acapella. “We always enjoy singing songs unaccompanied,” he says. “The Revelations is all about harmony and songs that are harmonious. And while it can be a challenge to execute a song perfectly, without accompaniment, the outcome makes the effort worth the while.”
Love Uninhibited will feature some new additions to the group- four for whom this is the first full length concert sung with the group. “I was always a big fan of The Revelations and had been following them for a long time before I joined up,” recalls 19 year old Gyles Dharmaratne. “Working with these guys has been a lot of fun for me. The group as a whole is very easy going and great to work with.”
“More than the singing sometimes,” adds 22 year old Michael Quyn, “what is great is just being part of the group itself. We’re all here because we are passionate about music, and it is very easy to learn from the senior members who share a great deal of their experience and expertise with us.”
The Revelations will be joined by the Hong Kong based nine member all female group- the Plaisir Ensemble, which wowed its audience at the first Vietnam International Choir Festival and Competition held in March 2011.
Tickets priced at Rs. 1500, 1000, 750 and 500 are available at the Lionel Wendt. For details on tickets for the performance in Kandy, contact Mark on 077-3260260, or Priyan on 0777329287.
The Sunday Times and The Daily Mirror are the print media sponsors. |
E-mail
