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| Sunday, 5 December 2004 |
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Features |  |
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Art from Vietnam Vietnam is buzzing as an investors' paradise today and Vietnamese art has evolved to be highly sort after by reputed Galleries in the USA, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.
To the Vietnamese, art is an integral part of their daily life - throughout the many wars and hardships they have had to endure, art has been a constant source of solace and peace for generations - a means of escapism from the horrors of war and daily drudgery. Art plays a big role in the educational curriculum of Vietnam and upon retirement, most people enrol in the National University of Arts and Literature to further pursue their artistic talents. The exhibition and sale of modern Vietnamese paintings at the Harold Pieris Gallery, Lionel Wendt, on December 8 and 9, comprises a selection of oil on canvas paintings from the foremost schools of Vietnamese art depicting a variety of universal themes with a few being typically Vietnamese. There are also some paintings with a splash of lacquer for which the Vietnamese are renowned. Lacquer work in Indo China is unique and very unlike what we know of lacquer work in Sri Lanka. The effect is fusion of metals with the most popular being gold and silver. In this collection, splashes of Lacquer are blended into the oil paintings creating an unusual and curious mix of colour and light. What is distinct about modern Vietnamese art is the brightness and light play the artist use in their work. These paintings have been hand picked by a Sri Lankan couple who were based in Hanoi, Vietnam for the last three years. They were fascinated by the variety, colour and details used by the many Artists they got to know during their stay. And at the end of their term decided to bring down a collection of paintings from a very select group of artists to be exhibited and sold in Sri Lanka. The exhibition is open from 10.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a preview for invitees will be held on December 7 from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Udugang Yamaya receives international recognition Sudath Devapriya's Udugang Yamaya (Against The Tide) has been selected as the official Sri Lankan movie at the International Indian Film Festival, being held in Goa from December 3 to 10. Two Sri Lankan movies - Lester James Peiris' Gamperaliya and D. B. Nihalsinha's Maldeniye Simion have won awards at this event in the past.
The Army visits the village looking for these youths and threaten the villagers about harbouring terrorists. The idyllic life of the village is slowly torn apart by the threat of sudden abductions and disappearances as the violence worsens. Sudath Devapriya who entered the world of arts through the Sri Lanka stage joined the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation in 1983 as an Assistant Director and was responsible for the production of a large number of children's dramas. In 1998 he directed a teledrama for children based on the popular novel Amba Yahaluwo (The Friends) by T. B. Illangaratne. This teledrama was subsequently telecast around the world on 27 different channels and won the Honorary Jury Award at the Prix Jeunesse Television Drama Festival held in Munich, Germany in 1990. His pioneer film creation Elivena Davasa won the award for the Best Screen Script at the Youth Festival organised by the National Youth Services Centre of Sri Lanka. His second film The Crossing won two awards at the Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum Awards 1991 and was screened at the Faja International Film Festival in Iran and at the Sao Paulo IFF in Brazil. Against the Tide, produced in 2003, is his third film. Critics corner A Tribute to Mary Anne David : One of a Kind This was a moving event, when celebrity singer and music teacher doyen Mary Anne David's students and family presented her with a bouquet of song and roses in tribute on November 24 at the Russian Cultural Centre. It was my privilege to be there on this occasion. It was nice to see faces on stage, that one has not seen for some time since the heyday of the Merry An Singers in the late 1980's and early 1990's. As a music lover has pointed out recently in a letter, the performances of the Merry An Singers have been uneven in recent years, ranging from a fine Mozart Requiem performance in memory of Lylie Godridge at the local Anglican Cathedral, to rather disappointing pastiche of events mixing classical, Broadway and pop genres performed by ill-balanced senior mixed voices, Wee Winkies and Junior singers. The intention is to appeal to all, but in fact, this hotchpotch causes artistic indigestion to both the classical music lover as well as those with a taste in other music. I offer my opinion today not in the context of this well-organised event, which was a touching tear jerker for some including Ms. David herself, but on the performances themselves. The highlights were undoubtedly the performances by two sopranos; one in her teens Anjuli Gunaratna, and other in her mid-twenties, Dilrukshi Fonseka. Here we could see poise, technique and understanding of the music sung. Ms. Fonseka's performance of Tomorrow was a little too mature-sounding for Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin's Annie, even interpolating a high note at the end, which removed some of the innocence that she (and Andrea McArdle !) brought to it years ago. The purity, power and technique of the voice in her entire range still remains strong. Ms. Gunaratne performed her signature Musetta's Waltz from Puccini's La Boheme, with rather less technical fluency and breath control but with the same fine characterisation that she gave to a recent performance with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka. The two then got together for an entertaining performance of Duetto Buffo e Due Gatti by Rossini, popularly known as the cat duet (because its 'libretto' contains the single word 'miaow'), complete with a chocolate-break-taking rat at the piano. Another major highlight was Christopher Godridge twanging a small ukelele, that brought back memories of his late father, with a memorable patter song performance of Leanin on a lamp post. His palpable state presence was matched by Andre David, singing Irving Gordon's Unforgettable with finesse. The barbershop version of Pennies from Heaven brought together a well-balanced experienced vocal quartet that filled the hall with beautiful harmony. Bathiya Jayakody's finger snapping dance version of Freddy Eynesford Hill's solo from My Fair Lady no doubt would have raised a few eyebrows, including that of his teacher, but it did get the audience moving. His regular duet partner Santhush Weeraman told us that Figaro was "Quite confused about his honeymoon, and god help him it is in Italian" (sic). Let me clarify (in the interest of Beaumarchis and Da Ponte!) - the context of Se Vuol Ballare early in Act 1 of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro K 492, is that, he is planning how he could foil the plans of his master, the count, to seduce his fiancee, Susanna. The three choir numbers, including many former members, were well performed with far better balance than one hears from the choir today. Andre David conducts with an economical movement, but is quite sufficient to convey pace and dynamics to the singers. A word on the fine accompanists. Soundarie David produced some beautiful tone on the piano, adding to the spectrum with well-judged cantabile in the right hand, as well as sympathetic accompaniment elsewhere. The electronic keyboard (Neranjan de Silva) and drums (Christo Prins) added to the celebratory atmosphere in the small hall in no small measure. I will not dwell on each item in detail, except to say that the quality varied, with impeccable well-sung performances from many genres of music, interspersed with either under-rehearsed, substandard or ill-presented ones. One thing is certain, the talent from (quite recent) yesteryear is far superior to that currently on offer, bar few. Let's hope that something is done to reverse this trend. - R. Joseph |
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| Produced by Lake House |
When Bill Clinton visited Hanoi and bought a painting done by the
impressionist artist Le Than Tsun, five years ago, the value of his
paintings shot up from US$500 to US$8000! Today, he is one of the most
sought after artists in South East Asia.
Presented by Cine-Maya Udugang Yamaya is the story of the bloody civil
war which raged in Sri Lanka in 1989 between young left-wing insurgents
and the State forces, which resulted in the death and disappearance of
about 60,000 mainly young people. The story is set in a remote village
during that period. Sirimal, a nine-year-old boy, lives with his parents.
Sirimal's father is the village ferryman. The suspicious activities of
some rebel youth in the area and the occasional sound of gunshots do not
go un-noticed.
