Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Piano and Drums
By Priyanwada Ranawaka
An array of Western and Eastern musical instruments blend to bring alive a novel experience for Sri Lankan audiences as the. Drama Society of S. Thomas’ College unveil ‘Piano and Drums’ at the Russian Cultural Centre on June 10, 11 and 12 commencing at 7 p.m. with refreshments served in the garden. The concert starts at 8.15 p.m. with Rock and Roll, proceeding to Broadway, Sri Lankan and then on to three improvisational works.

Six budding musicians from S. Thomas’ College will play the eleven instruments with Chaminda Samaraweera on Western drums, Asitha Tennekoon on piano, Damitha Peiris on saxophone, clarinet, guitar and lead, Daham Ratnayake on Oriental drums and Sachith Samaranayake on Oriental flute.

“All of them have so much talent that would take them a long way,” says director Vinodh Senadeera. Having known some of the boys through the drama society of his Alma Mater and others as students at his English lessons in school, Vinodh says he decided to put them on stage and let them have a chance to show what they have to offer. “Everyday at practices, they play something new,” says Vinodh, adding that the young musicians come up with a new tune at every practice session, making it a bit hard for him to decide where to draw the line.

Practices have been irregular as the boys are busy with their studies and other extra curricular activities. However, Vinodh thinks that it is precisely this that has made the musicians more spontaneous with their performance.

The show comprises a variety of music from Bach to Chopin, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra to Pearl Jam. “Both Oriental and Western instruments will join in performing music of all ages,” says Vinodh. The show commences with an African tribal chant fused with the Western drums by Chaminda. Sachith and Daham join in the performance with a fusion of Sinhala music with Western beats.

It is not only Western and Eastern music that has been fused. The show also brings together two entirely different forms of art, music and poetry. The concert, named after the famous poem by Gabriel Okara, features a selection of poems from the Shakespearean era to contemporary poetry by Jean Arsanayagam. The poetry readings will be accompanied by a suitable melody.

For Vinodh, it was his love for poetry that inspired him to try out the possibility of directing a performance that brings together poetry, rhythm and melody, even though such a performance is very experimental in nature. “Let’s see how well it goes down with the audience,” he says emphasising that it would certainly be an experience of a different sort. Tickets for the show are available at the Russian Cultural Centre and the S. Thomas’ College office.

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