|
|
 |
| Sunday, 7 April 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Vienna Boys Choir live - a breath of fresh air by Mano Chanmugam and Jeffrey Harris The world renown Vienna Boys Choir, twenty three of them, gave Colombo a breath of fresh air with their angelic voices in precise unison and in solo, at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on the evening of 28th March 2002. Bemourning the non existence of a suitable auditorium to augment their disciplined voices, the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium with its acoustics was poor substitute, but the only venue to house the vast youthful and very appreciative audience. Co-ordinating sound accurately in this vast steel and concrete jungle is a near impossible task, ably under taken by Gerry Jayasinghe. With the negligible time for precision in sound rehearsing and placement of microphones, he gave us the best possible compromise in the pit of the auditorium. How accurate the reproduction in the terraces was could not be judged from the pit. One serious problem that effected the performance of the Operetta - the Magic word of Josef Gabriel Rheinberger was the body microphones that distorted sound continually during movements on stage. It was a rare treat to be able to hear the famous choir founded in 1498, 504 years ago, and singing live at the Indoor Stadium. The Choir members change slightly every year - as the boys voices break, new boys come in. They sang German and Austrian music in the first half, ranging from 1600 to 1900 in two and three part harmony. It was perhaps especially rewarding to hear them sing Mozart and Schubert, for which they are so renown, bringing a clear and fresh sound to the music. You can only admire the accuracy of their pitch in the very early works. They later showed their versatility, first in singing the Operetta - The Magic Word partly in German and partly in English and then singing songs from around the world. The Operatta was particularly enjoyed by the many school children present - especially the appearance of two of the boys acting as frogs! - one was particularly athletic! The songs from around the world were sung in their original languages. particularly appreciated was the African song sung in Zulu and the Sri Lankan song - "Mau Sri Lanka" sung in Sinhala which received a standing ovation until it was repeated. The concert ended with the music for which Vienna is best known - Strauss' Waltzes and Polkas they were of course greatly enjoyed. It appears that this was the final concert of a three month long tour around the world - these young boys aged 10 - 14 must have been exhausted, but didn't show it and they gave their talent most generously and it must be said against great odds. The piano sounded very tinny and elderly and the sound balancing should be got right for the future. It was also unfortunate that choir and audience were kept waiting for half hour before the VIP's deigned to arrive - the music we were subjected to during this delay was hardly a fitting introduction to such a Choir. However the choir's performance at St. Theresa's Church, Thimbirigasyaya, in the heat of the previous afternoon was more rewarding with no amplification and the purity of sound more contained. Sri Lankan wins International poetry awards To be declared the 2002 Poet of the Year of the International Society of Poets was an honour to Inoka Balasuriya who was also the winner of the Grand Prize of twenty thousand US dollars. She was inducted on March 1 at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida at the Spring Convention and Symposium of the International Society of Poets 2002. Inoka was also honoured with two separate and special awards for her poetic achievement.One of her poems she tells us has been published in 'Moments of Eden' (International Library of Poetry) and was given the Editor's choice award. Another of her poems will appear in 'Best Poems and Poets 2001'. At the awards night, after presenting her poetry in front of many fellow poets she received the International Poet of Merit Silver Awards Bowl which will enjoy pride of place in her home. Inoka was also fortunate in receiving a colourful commemorative Award Medallion to honour her poetic dedication and achievements. World renowned Pulitzer prize winning poet W.D. Snodgrass was present at the event to congratulate the poets and to award the prizes. This amateur poetry contest organised by the International Society of Poets has proved to be the most lucrative amateur poetry contest.Your contest entry poem can be written in any style, on any subject and can be up to 40 lines long. Twenty poets will be discovered and the winners of the contest will be awarded publishing or recording contracts that will generate international exposure of their poetic artistry. 'Elephantscapes' at the Galle Face As a social worker for victims of violence in Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia Hong-Bich Huynch Vernon involved herself also in the visual arts. She organised silk painting, oil painting and photographic exhibitions by the refugees and used art as a therapy to express their emotions. When she completed her work with the refugees, Hong-Bich began to paint again and threw herself into studying Chinese brush painting, Batik painting and ceramic sculpture. Subsequently her many exhibitions from 1997 to 1981 reflected the subtle understanding and portrayed of landscapes of the country's she visited. "Elephantscapes at the Galle Face" her second solo exhibition which was concluded recently, included drawings and paintings, college and mixed media. The watercolour paintings were completed during the last six months. Basically 'Elephantscapes' was an experiment in water colour landscapes in which the same theme was approached from a variety of perspectives. According to Hong-Bich she sees her art as a form of meditation to capture the essence of the object of her attention. A scintillating evening of music Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II popular musical 'South Pacific', staged by the senior section of the Colombo International School turned out to be a sell out success on both days. The musical was chosen to coincide with its 50th anniversary and was directed by Bruce Ferguson Elder with assistance from an enthusiastic team of teachers and students. Set in a South Sea Island during the latter months of World War II Nellie Forbush was played by Samantha Gooneratne, Emile de Becque by Nishok Goonasekera. Other roles Capt. George Brackett by Oscar Gilroy, Lt. Joseph Cable by Frederick Dias and Commander Harbison by Kesara Ratnavibushana. The role of Bloody Mary the Tonkinese trafficker was played by Ranika Arrowsmith. South Pacific like the other musicals of that time spawned favourite songs Bali Hai, some Enchanted Evening, Younger Than Springtime, Happy Talk which still continue to enjoy perennial popularity. The music for the production was played by the school's orchestra, and the whole was a roaring success for the students. My mother my beloved Everyone loves his or her mother. For a baby, no word is sweeter than the word for the mother. An English child calls his or her mother 'mum' or 'mummy'. In the United States, they call her 'mama' 'mamma' 'mom' momma' or 'mommy'. A Sinhalese child calls his or her mother 'amma' and as a term of endearment, she is called 'mage amma' (my mother). A Sinhalese child will use 'mage amma' to show how much he or she loves her. A child who says. 'mage ammata mama a:darey' (I love my mother) expresses his or her love (a:dare) in no uncertain words. Such a child will bless the mother by saying: 'mage ammata Budu pihitay' (May the Buddha bless my mother) 'mage ammata deyyange pihitay' (May gods bless my mother) What is interesting is that this very phrase 'mage ammata' is also used by the mother to express her affection towards her child. If a baby falls, the mother will lift her saying 'mage ammata ridunada?' (did it hurt you, my darling?) When a son or daughter worships her at her feet, she blesses the child by saying the very phrases that her children used to bless her. 'mage ammata Budu pihitay' 'mage ammata deyyange pihitay' 'Mage amma' in this context, does not mean 'my mother' but 'my dear' 'my darling' or 'my beloved'. For the Sinhalese there is no one dearer than the mother. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
