Italian arias, Kishani’s and Soundarie’s next musical venture
View(s):By Namali Premawardhana
Kishani Jayasinghe
“Classically Italian” the third episode of the “Royally Classical” series of concerts with soprano Kishani Jayasinghe and pianist Soundarie David will take place on November 10 at the Russian Cultural Centre from 7.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
Kishani is a globally acclaimed soprano who is most loved for her operatic performance as well as her roles in key West End musicals. Soundarie is one of Sri Lanka’s best known pianists and the director of the Soul Sounds Academy. The duo who are both products of the Royal Schools of Music began the series in February 2016 with a clear intention.
“There is a perception that classical music is exclusive,” Kishani explains, “and I feel very strongly that it shouldn’t be. I want to make it inclusive and bring in a wider audience.”
Being accessible to any audience, she points out, hinges on how the music is presented, and hence the focus on language. Kishani and Soundari initially considered building the series around composers, or the music of nations, but found that such a structure would limit their scope. Taking inspiration from similar series which Kishani has been a part of in London, they decided on language.
Before each item on the programme, Kishani makes a comprehensive introduction to the piece which includes key words which she explains and suggests the audience follow through the song. Soundarie demonstrates the main motifs of the piece on the keyboard as well, while Kishani explains their development through the piece, giving the audience greater depth of understanding into the composition. The method is something like a private lesson combined with a private performance (the Russian Cultural Centre can in fact seat only 200 people), and the impact is effective learning.
“The feedback has been that people who don’t understand a word of the language actually understand everything, because now they have something to tie back to, as they listen,” Kishani says.
Much of the audience of the two previous shows “Classically French” and “Classically German” comprised those who had never been to a performance of Western classical music before, Kishani says, including students of Eastern classical music. This is encouraging to Kishani whose goal with the series is to make the sort of performance that she is trained in, a more inclusive one.
Soundarie David
As the programmes focus on a single language, this allows the duo to include pieces that encompass a variety of styles and genres from lyrics to lieder to aria. The “Classically Italian” programme will inevitably be heavy on aria, Kishani points out, minus the depth and “all-encompassing intensity” of opera. The programme will include compositions for voice by Puccini, Bellini, Mozart, Handel as well as 20th century composer Wolf-Ferrari.
The Royally Classical Recitals are presented by the Colombo Opera Company (COC). Tickets are priced at Rs. 2,000 and can be booked and collected via the COC Booking Hotline: 071 886 7071. Seating will be available on a first come first served basis.