Hitting a heartfelt note
View(s):By Shannon Salgadoe
International operatic soprano Kishani Jayasinghe made a triumphant return to a packed Lionel Wendt Theatre this past Monday after a break of three years with ‘Kishani Sings for LRH’, a concert in aid of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, a cause that is near and dear to her heart.
Kishani was in superlative form as she treated the audience to an evening of beautiful arias and well-loved songs by famous composers, the experience further elevated by the Chamber Music Society of Colombo musicians led by concertmaster Lakshman Joseph de Saram.
The ensemble of musicians started off the programme with a collection of music titled ‘Ancient Airs and Dances’ by 20th-century composer Ottorino Respighi who was inspired by the music of 16th, 17th, and 18th century Italy.
Sharing the applause: Kishani acknowledging members of the Chamber Music Society, and (right), happy to be back on her home stage. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Welcomed by compere Arun Dias Bandaranaike, Kishani took to the stage with an aria from Vincenzo Bellini’s ‘I Capuleti e i Montecchi’ (The Capulets and the Montagues) based on Shakespeare’s play which tells the tale of the star-crossed Romeo and Juliet – or Giulietta. Singing as Giulietta, Kishani perfectly captured her heightened teenage emotions as she waits for her lover.
Next came two arias from Giacomo Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’, an opera about four struggling bohemians in Paris. Kishani performed the role of Mimi, a seamstress who falls for Rodolfo, a poet. The first aria was Mimi’s shy yet emphatic introduction to Rodolfo with the second aria changing to a more dramatic tone as she bids him goodbye.
The homage to the Italian masters continued with an aria from Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’, an opera about the corrupt, womanising Duke of Mantua, court jester Rigoletto and his daughter Gilda. Kishani sang the part of a besotted Gilda who has been seduced by the Duke who misleads her with an alias.
The evening then took a detour from classical opera with a collection of traditional songs from the British Isles and the Mediterranean. Accompanied by Johann Peiris on piano, Kishani performed popular airs such as ‘The Water is Wide’, a Scottish folk song describing the challenges of love, as well as the much loved ‘O Danny Boy’ and the foot-stomping ‘Granada’.
Following the brief intermission, the CMSC ensemble performed the three movements from ‘Sinfonia in G Major’ by Antonio Vivaldi followed by Kishani’s reprisal of her acclaimed role as Leila in Georges Bizet’s ‘The Pearl Fishers’ set in ancient Ceylon. Her portrayal of the priestess in the Dutch opera company Nederlandse Reisopera’s staging of the opera in Holland marked the first time a Sri Lankan had performed the role of the Sri Lankan heroine on the international stage.
Going back to her favourites, Kishani performed an aria by Violetta, a courtesan in Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’. Here, a sick and dying Violetta laments at her situation while reading a letter sent by her lover, Alfredo’s father.
Next, from Puccini’s ‘Gianni Schicchi’, a comic opera about the greedy Donati family, Kishani sang the well-known aria ‘O mio babbino caro’ (Oh my dear Papa), where Lauretta begs her father Schicchi to help her marry the love of her life, Rinuccio.
An aria from Franz Lehar’s ‘The Merry Widow’ followed where Kishani sang as Hanna, the eponymous widow who regales her party guests with the story of a mountain sprite or “Vilja” that roams the highlands of her homeland tempting hunters with her beauty.
The evening ended with the showstopping ‘Jewel Song’ from Charles Gounod’s ‘Faust’, an opera based on the play by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Dedicating the song to the jewels in her life – her parents, husband and two children – Kishani sang the role of Marguerite, who, after finding a casket of jewels, tries them on and imagines what Faust would think if he saw her now.
‘Summertime’, the perennial from George Gershwin’s opera ‘Porgy and Bess’ served as a perfect jazzy encore to round off a night of timeless classics enjoyed by all.
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