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| Sunday, 16 November 2003 |
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Pradeepanjalee V by the master of his instrument, sitarist Pradeep Ratnayake, was a musical journey that radiated power infused with deeply personal expression which has become Pradeep's signature. The concert held on October 25 in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Lionel Wendt Theatre was a welcome long-awaited-evening for music aficionados who appreciate the innovative artistry of Pradeep Ratnayake a contemporary sitarist whose objective has always been to provide an alternative platform for music appreciation. Pradeepanjalee V commenced like in the previous concert series with Pradeep playing a classical Hindustani raga in all its purity. This time he chose the 'Rag Yaman' which started with unaccompanied 'alap' where the features of the raga were explored. The Jhod section saw Ravibandu Vidyapathi on Pakwaj giving him understanding support which unfortunately drew loud applause at the end of this section where normally the audience is not expected to clap. The 'Gat' or the rhythmic section of the raga with tablist Chandralal Amarakoon was technically a delightful expression, according to tradition, in three tempos-slow, medium and fast. The 'Jhala' where both percussionists joined in with Pradeep and all three enjoyed themselves in their inter-action worked up to a breath taking finale, which quite rightly received a thunderous applause from the audience. 'Kuveni' based on a traditional folk melody featuring the sitar and cello of Dushyanthi Perera was a haunting experience of moods which epitomised the tragic tale of Kuveni. Dushyanthi Perera one of Sri Lanka's leading cellist poured a lot of soul into her playing to bring out the pathos in the piece and with excellent support from Pradeep on sitar and the percussionists Ravibandu and Chandral, the tale of Kuvini came alive with passion. The finale was the Ukussa Vannama an extremely familiar traditional melody which received a new lease of life from Pradeep and his musicians, and the featured bassist Alston Joachim. One of Alstons major plus is his undiminished artistry and ability to fit in comfortably into any musical scenario and give added thrust to the piece with his creative and fast moving finger work on the fret of his bass. With the extraordinary sitar of Pradeep's - a voice that conveyed the richness of Indian classical music Ukussa Vannama was a fitting finale to send the audience home with memories in music of a flight of a free soaring bird. The chief guest at the concert was the Governor of the Central Bank A.S. Jayawardena and the guests of honour were Dr. Lester James Pieris and Sumithra Pieris. |
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