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| Uplifting
sounds from young enthusiasts They began with the Russian Contakion of the Departed from a Kiev melody, sung from one of the side chapels of the church. Adam Smyth conducted the group (unaccompanied) shaping the haunting phrases with due care, at a sensible tempo yet always reflective for the listeners. Using the church and its acoustic in this way provided particular atmosphere. Whilst the Brass and Timpani played the introit to the Funeral Music for Queen Mary, the choir moved silently into the main body of the church. Within this wonderful piece, the soloists (a well balanced quartet) interspersed with full choir and orchestra. They did this well, listening carefully. Again Adam Smyth did both the job as vocal soloist and conductor of the whole group with the minimum of fuss. The sound was delicate and natural from all concerned. Intimate for the audience closest to the group, and atmospheric for those like me at the back. Purcell is never easy to perform, full of tricky moments where harmonically there are plenty of surprises awaiting the performer. Some of these caught the choir slightly off balance, but everyone worked through this and achieved a brave account. Attention to greater clarity of words, especially in such a large building will always be needed. After the interval, we were treated to the Mozart Requiem, conducted by Lalanath de Silva, which was done in good style. He drew immediately from everyone a fresh and vigorous approach, encouraging plenty of commitment from both choir and orchestra. The soloists were Anagi Perera (soprano), Avanti Perera (contralto), Asitha Tennekon (tenor), a fine voice, and Adam Smyth (bass). They were a well balanced group standing within the main body of the choir. For the most part, the orchestra was sensitive to the singers and the conductor encouraged a good dynamic range. It was truly uplifting to hear such radiant high phrases from the sopranos. A young sound and holding good intonation. All should be done to encourage this group of musicians to extend their concert activities, church music in particular. They have a great heart and love of it all, and will always gain so much from the experience of performing such a wide diversity of music. Thank you Camerata. The writer is examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Faces,
grief and hope One half of the exhibits are images of grief and destruction. The other half of miracles that the human mind cannot fathom. Each tells a story far more poignant than words can describe- of personal loss, tragedy, despair and resignation, and the mysterious ways of God. The pictures were taken by well-known German photographer and artist Jean Noel Schramm shortly after the tsunami which plundered most of Sri Lanka's coastal towns had occurred. The artist cum photographer who had been sent to Sri Lanka for a photographic contribution for the weekly 'Die Zelt' magazine, and was in the country when the tsunami occurred had temporarily shelved his original assignment. The main objective of his new mission as described in the brief note on him in the invitation was, 'to create an essay of personal photography'. Rather than simply record those scenes of devastation and overwhelming grief and sorrow, which he describes as `unimaginable and indescribable', he decided to personalise each picture, so that the picture itself became the narrator. This he did by selecting four families from three of the affected villages in the south. The pictures tell their own tale of grief, uncertainty of the future, resignation to their fate, frustration etc. Here we see an elderly couple sitting inside their partially destroyed house amidst a heap of rubble. Their sense of hopelessness and resignation is clearly visible, caught as the camera zooms in to take a close up shot of each of them standing separately besides their ruined home. Then we see another aged couple standing against a solitary coconut tree among the debris of their home. The look of despair and sadness on their faces caught by the camera speaks more eloquently than any words. All the photos on display are in black and white, with the artist making effective use of light and shade to get his message across. Whether it is a Buddhist monk standing in front of a single Buddhist statue left standing among a heap of rubble, or families sitting inside the rubble heap of their homes, or a row of tri-shaws standing desolate in a jungle of debris, the story is hauntingly similar; of death and destruction, of people from children to the elderly traumatised and fearful of their future. The tragic story of their life after the tsunami is not the only aspect that Jean Noel Schramm has caught on his lens. His second 'subject' of interest is in the religious statues along the coastal belt which were miraculously unscathed by the plundering waves. These statues belong to all the religions in this country; Buddhist, Hindus, Christians. When the photographer made this amazing discovery, he immediately set about capturing them for posterity, Richard Lang, Director of the German cultural Centre tells me. These pictures, which are also in black and white, show statues of the Lord Buddha, of Jesus Christ and several Hindu deities remarkably untouched by the tsunami. One of the most striking photographs is that of a statue of the Lord Buddha in a seated position (see above) which was washed ashore after the gigantic waves swallowed it. Most of the stone pillar supporting this statue has been destroyed with the exception of the base. Yet the statue itself sits serene, amidst a debris-strewn shore radiating hope for the residents nearby. The
proceeds of the exhibition will be given by the photographer himself
to the four families he has chosen as his main subjects. Dienge:
Studded with originality "My father, U.N. Gunasekera was a pioneering Chartered engineer and a construction professional in Sri Lanka and my maternal grandfather Sir Ernest de Silva and paternal grandfather Henry Mendis Gunasekera- one of the early local auctioneers, were all lovers of art and artifacts, although I became a collector quite accidentally," said Mr. Gunasekera with a smile. A lover of George Keyt and Senaka Senanayake's paintings, Mr. Gunasekera found the 'lover of antiques and artifacts' in him whilst on an antique oil lamp hunt with his nephew who was holidaying in Sri Lanka. "A blackish gray metal casket caught my attention in an antique shop and after polishing, it turned out to be a fabulous piece of silver of late 19th century origin," says Mr. Gunasekera who added that later several pieces of sterling silver, collectibles, gem-studded designer jewellery and oil paintings were added to his collection, known as Dienge. Today Dienge, at Kitulwatte Road, Colombo 8 has expanded into a designer art gallery and a recording studio."Our range of jewellery and artifacts which include collectibles, corporate and personal gifts are unique because not a single creation is repeated, to ensure that they are not commonly available," said Tilina Wewegama, designer and gemmologist qualified at the Gemmology Institute of America who hails from a fourth generation gem mining family of Pelmadulla. Tilina's exquisite and intricate designs in silver, yellow and white gold are embedded with precious stones such as blue sapphires, diamonds and chrysoberyl cat's eyes from Ratnapura and handcrafted by artisans in Kandy. "Dienge guarantees the quality of their gems and silver, subjecting them to testing and marking them as sterling silver by the National Gem and Jewellery Authority of Sri Lanka," said Mr. Wewegama who added that the National Business Excellence Awards of the National Chamber of Commerce, the 5S awards of the JASTECA and the current President's medallion of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka are some of the prestigious trophies designed by Dienge. Originality is Dienge's signature. Dienge is inspired by a variety of designs, but does not believe in re-production. "Unlike a mass scale business, ours is personalized. We operate on a personal level where a client can call and make an appointment to discuss design and colour preference and we always see to it that a design is not copied even on the request of a client," said Mr. Gunasekera. Dienge's art gallery is to be opened in late April with a solo exhibition of paintings by Mr. Wewegama who identifies himself as a "mature student with no teacher". "Though a professional gemmologist, I was in the mercantile sector till Dhammika invited me to join him at Dienge as its gemmologist. Then one fine day he got me the best of canvas, brushes and paints and put my painting ability on test!" laughed Mr. Wewegama who adds that his maiden painting is already sold. The gallery will soon be available to all aspiring artists to display their work. Dienge's music studio is headed by Agra Premaratne, son of renowned music director Shelton Premaratne. They plan to do their own musical productions and provide facilities for individuals to do their private productions. To complement all this, the warehouse of Dienge will soon be turned into a mini-theatre with a seating capacity of around 400. |
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