It’s all about enjoying music, says Neranjan
Neranjan de Silva: In a quiet moment with the Cathedral’s Johannes organ. Pic by Amila Gamage
Certain phenomena, like the weather, the touchscreen on one’s phone, and the organist/keyboard accompanist Neranjan de Silva, are simply unpredictable. It might rain on your sunny-outdoors wedding day, you might be texting and calling business acquaintances from yesterday while your phone is innocently sitting in your pocket, and the organ might stop mid-song at a glorious service at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour.
“They didn’t know their parts!” Neranjan de Silva exclaims, reminiscing about ‘Celebration with Song’ 2015 with affected comical indignation at the ‘congregation choir’. “They were so bad that I had to stop them and get the De Lanerolle Brothers to teach them.”
Far from being a rather obnoxious choirmaster as the event might suggest, Neranjan is in fact simply very relaxed and informal, even at what some might call a ‘performance’. And this is his appeal to musicians and lovers of things musical.
On Saturday, October 15, another ‘Celebration with Song’ will take place starting 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour with Neranjan de Silva at the Johannes organ accompanying his friends Melanie Bibile, Adele Beling, Eshantha de Andrado, the De Lanerolle Brothers, Anila and Thisari and Oktave. And as testimony to the fact that the programme is more about enjoying music than a pitch-perfect performance, the programme for entrance will include a booklet containing the musical score to every choral item on the agenda.
“There are many who would love to sing in a choir but don’t have the time for it, and I know many such people will be in the congregation,” Neranjan explains, “so we want to give them the opportunity to join in with the singing if they like”.
Oktave is not a competitive choir, he emphasizes. Many of its members are professionals who have very stressful jobs, or are directors of choirs themselves. Neranjan does not take it upon himself to impose further discipline or commitment on his choristers as a director would normally do. For both these groups of people, what Oktave offers is the opportunity to destress and simply enjoy singing. For Neranjan himself, the point is a distraction.
“I get bored listening to myself play,” he says, ever ready to dismiss himself. “I can’t play alone for longer than 10-12 minutes. So I don’t even practise. But I do get a lot of pleasure from supporting singers and choirs on the keyboard.”
On occasion though, he gets called upon (especially in a church service or wedding ceremony setting) to play organ voluntaries. Since he does not practise on principle, he is left with one skill, which he is disproportionately gifted with, to get through the mandatory number of musical measures: improvisation. Beneath his fingers, The Muppet Show Theme by OK Go, ‘This Girl is on Fire’ by Alicia Keys and the Baila favourite ‘Rosa polla gening’ are transformed into the most glorious works of classical organ music. The unsuspecting congregation is transported to heavenly raptures and the helpless choristers force deadpan faces to prevent themselves from breaking into madmen’s laughter.
“When people say ‘play something’ I play whatever is on my mind at that time,” he explains, simply. “Quite often it’s Three Blind Mice!”
As opening to the celebration on the 15th, he is currently considering the theme from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, but one must be patient with his genius – he plans to surprise everyone with his repertoire.
What has been revealed nevertheless is that Melanie Bibile will sing ‘God Help the Outcasts’ from the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Adele Beling ‘You Raise me Up’ and ‘It Is Well with My Soul’. Neranjan’s daughter Anila de Silva and Thisari Eiyarisi will sing a duet of the popular simple chorus ‘As the Deer Pants’ while the De Lanerolle Brothers will sing ‘The Anthem’ from the musical Chess.
Tokens for entrance at Rs.500 are available at Park Street Mews, Commons Cafe, Methodist Headquarter Office and the National Christian Council Head Office. For inquiries call 078-798-0663. Proceeds are in aid of the Cathedral Organ Fund.