As much as it was an evening of friendship, Maitri Sandya turned out be an enchanting and absorbing one too. Maitri Sandya was the title given by the Indian High Commission for the musical evening organised to celebrate 50 years of independence and friendship between Sri Lanka and India.
The High Commission had invited a few Sri Lanka artistes, who had studied music and dance in India, to participate. They reciprocated in grand style providing the Lionel Wendt audience with some superb entertainment. The presentations were classical music and dancing but even those with the least knowledge of the finer points, like me, enjoyed them very much.
The artistes had all learnt their art under some of the best teachers in India in well known institutions, like Vishwabharati and Bhatkande. Some had been there 30 - 40 years ago while some had returned after qualifying just the other day. But they performed equally well making good use of what they had learnt.
Pick of the evening was young Pradeep Ratnayake who has already got accolades for his creativity and talent. Accompanied by Wijeratne Ranatunga, Pradeep was once again at his best.
Arundathie Sri Ranganathan who is no stranger to the oriental music world led her group in a most entertaining Carnatic recital, both vocal and instrumental. And the evening ended with a charming Bharatha Natyam dance by the Sivakumari Gnanendran troupe.
Maitri Sandya showed the ideal way to build goodwill among neighbours and as compere H M Gunasekera put it, promote love, affection and friendship. May there be many more such evenings.
The logo created for the Golden Jubilee of Independence comprises the three elements - the Sun, the colours of the National Flag and the number '50'.
The Sun, the dominant element symbolises the life giving force to the Nation that surges out signifying continuity and perpetuity. The Sun's rays are depicted in the three layers to denote Peace, Stability and Prosperity.
In the centre of the Sun, the colours red, green and orange represent the ethnic groups working in harmony in the noble task of nation building.
A monologue adapted from Leo Tolstoy's short story by Dr. Mark Amerasinghe, was performed by him at the Physiology Theatre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya on January 27.
Interest in a monologue usually tends to flag after a period of 45 or 50 minutes. However, this was not the case with the Kreutzer sonata.
The audience was held spell-bound for 70 minutes by a sustained performance of uniform excellence.
Mark initially assumed the role of the travelling companion, to whom the story is related by the murderer; the jealous husband, who commences the narrative describing the self-destructive relationship between the husband and wife reaching a climax with the gruesome murder and culminating with an emotional display of remorse.
The theme was the age old one of the eternal triangle, a cuckold husband and the crime passionel. The husband, in his wild imaginings, distorts the relationship between the violinist and his wife who accompanies him in the Kreutzer sonata.
The presto movement of the Kreutzer sonata introduces the monologue, and is skillfully interwoven into it, enhancing its dramatic quality. So skilful was his representation, that I for one entirely sympathised with the murderer.
Instead of the customary applause at the end of the performance there was a brief period of pin-drop silence which preceded the applause so over-whelming was his performance. I myself was moved almost to tears by its dramatic intensity. It was a pity that the hall was not even half full. The audience though small, was certainly appreciative.
We are indebted to Prof. Senanayake, Dean of Medical Faculty, who organises these monthly cultural events at the Faculty; this performance being the only "live" one to date. - Dr. Reggie Seimon
The Lionel Wendt Theatre, was the venue for an unusual and interesting excursion for the intellect, when a Trio comprising Gunther Klatt (Tenor saxophone), Tizian Jost (Piano) and an ethnic Turkish singer Ozay Fecht, performed under the aegis of the Goethe Institute in Colombo, recently.
It was (almost strictly) a celebration of the art of the ballad, with no Blues within earshot! The single work which provided the definitive oeuvre for the evening's performance was an original composition by the Saxophonist, which he called "Stangehorn" and was dedicated to the memory of Duke Ellington's alter ego Billy Strayhorn ( composer of the most stunning ballad works in the history of modern music, e.g. "Chelsea Bridge", "Lush Life" & "Lotus Blossom".)
The playing as well as the structure of the piece harked, most tellingly, along the trademark chromaticism and intervals of Ellington/Strayhorn.
Not entirely surprisingly, apart from two ballads composed by the German born Tin Pan Alley tune-smith Kurt Weill, and two Turkish light songs, about all the other ballads played or sung were Ellington standards.
The style and cast of the Pianist and Saxophonist ( for indeed, the trio was as much a Duo as it was the other) ranged somewhere between the Don Pullen - George Adams and Shirley Scott-Stanley Turrentine duos with each supporting and cajoling the other through convoluted passages and rhythms in the best tradition of modern improvised music.
The evening established itself when the Pianist and Tenor saxophonist, after a teasing entree of hard-blown squawking lines, eased into the magnificent and voluptuous harmonies of "Prelude to a Kiss".
What a pity about the ambience at the Lionel Wendt; it would have been far more effective had the performance been planned to recapture the intimacy of a club with warmer lighting and deeper shadows, than to have had the full wattage of bright white!
Review by Arun Dias Bandaranaike.
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