| Mirror
Magazine |
||||
|
Beverly Rodrigo
in Concert
Even
the stage decor replete with muted lighting and crimson drapes worked
well on one's mind. Beverly himself was the courtly link-man at
the piano, one of which he used as his grandstand for individual
virtuosity whilst the other served for the purpose of rapport with
his associates on stage during the several phases of the concert. This was indeed
a blissful take-off into thoroughly professional artistic delights
executed by highly focused and rehearsed performers who obviously
love their art-form and work at excellence everyday. The concert
contrasted sharply with certain under-rehearsed efforts that pass
for music in the Colombo scene. Beverly Rodrigo's
extraordinary sensitivity of touch on the piano was apparent from
the very first contrasting items ("I Could Have Danced All
Night" and "Amazing Grace") where the brilliantly
clear lightness of his facile right-hand work gave way dramatically
to sonorous tone and delicate tempo within the middle register and
bass. His exploitation of the dark sounds with a powerful left hand
were in fact a regular feature throughout. The concert
proceeded with the associated guest appearances which worked through
pop, the light classics, jazz, the modern and the eastern virtuosity.
The appearance on-stage of the rarely seen Aruna Siriwardhana, a
formidable artiste of multi-faceted prowess was an item of special
flavour. His brief stint, at first in a two-piano association with
Beverly, and thereafter on the acoustic drums where his name resounds
as an all time legend of the jazz fraternity was just not enough. The three ladies
on vocal solos were a study in contrasts. Shanelle Fernando who
delivered her songs with remarkable aplomb sang with power and ease,
with lines of glittering accuracy and great music sense. The soft balladeer,
the Britisher Ally Fryer, manifested highly developed notions of
timing, expressions and theatre-sense which provided the 'bite and
spice' of the lyrics of her songs in full measure. The lissome and
smiling Penny Ferdinand who began her 'act' off-stage has a voice
of fine variation and with a shimmering controlled vibrato moved
with consummate ease in her thoroughly musical rendition. Would
that young local aspirants of every class had observed the musicianship
and the technique of these ladies. Then came the
appearance on Eastern music instruments of the supremely calm Nesan.
He performed at welcome length upon the geta-bera, tabla, the jug
and a suspiciously 'invisible' mouth organ of extraordinary sonic
capacity. (Was it a mouth organ at all?) The item worked through
most of the well-known forms and rhythms inclusive of the irresistible
baila, all of it done with imperturbable calm and almost "eerie"
facility of the body and hand-movements. Beverly Rodrigo
was associated in the highly rhythm oriented performance of Nesan
Thiyagarajah remaining on stage thereby for the entire concert lasting
over two hours. His technique in executing powerful chord-work,
trills and glissandos, and in the bounce and syncopation of other
forms without a scrap of printed music (which he never reads) was
exemplary. The only shortcomings
of this presentation lay with the absence of stage-management and
of sound-management, whereby there were some awkward moments between
the items and a total absence in the balance of the back-up artistes
inclusive of the drums. But the larger
measures were always most delicious. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
