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| Sunday, 15 May 2005 |
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Englebert live in Colombo by Mahes Perera
The blurbs scream that it is going to be "an enchanting experience" with the King of Romance as he is labelled. Englebert Humperdinck who proudly rode on the crest of popularity in the '60s and '70s will be here in Sri Lanka. Unbelievable but it's true... (pinch yourself and all that). He'll be here for just one concert with his group of twenty four musicians! Saturday June 11 will certainly be a never to be forgotten-day for Englebert's fans for whom there is always a rush of adrenalin even today whenever his hits are played by bands on the dance floor. A case in point is the song 'Release Me' which even in the '60s and '70s was a test of a good singer - his ability to sustain and stretch the notation of the song, in Sri Lanka. Today for Englebert the song is his anthem and also the theme for all his concert shows. According to Jeevan de Silva of Sound Station Entertainment who clued us in on the concert, it will be held at Waters Edge, Ethul Kotte Road, Rajagiriya and will commence at 7.30 p.m. and tickets will be inclusive of dinner. Englebert will be arriving in Sri Lanka on June 10 and will leave for Bangkok on June 13 in the Asian part of his month long tour. At the concert he will be singing his major hits like Quando, Quando, The Last Waltz, A Man Without Love, There Goes My Everything. The Way It used to Be and many more. Some of these will be in medley form, yet they will spin out the charm of the man himself. Jeevan also tells us that Englebert will include selections from his new album which will be a surprise for us here in Sri Lanka. They say he enjoys putting his stamp to the now hits by singers like Bryan Adams and Robbie Williams. A vibrant balladeer with a 40 year career behind him, in which he has sold more than 150 million records, gathered 64 golds and 23 platinums, Englebert started off his music career as a saxophonist, but unfortunately he was dogged by lung illness, and was compelled to switch to singing. A chance meeting with the agent Gordon Mills set the ball rolling for the success that followed. Mills made him record Release Me and in less than a week after its release the song toppled the Beatles' Penny Lane from the No. 1 slot of the charts in 1967. The rest is history. Here in Sri Lanka Englebert was an idol - his songs dominated the airplay over SLBC (then Radio Ceylon) and gathered more and more fans. His songs were and still are on everybody's lips - young and old. A triumphant return
The triumphant return of the Hiru Musical Band to the scene has been heralded by music lovers and musicians. The band which was formed in 1991 by leader Dumindu Kalyan Kadigamuwa had to face a legal battle with the Asia Broadcasting Corporation (Pvt.) who filed an injunction preventing the Hiru Musical Show being staged in 2003 since it carried the name Hiru. The Hiru Musical band has been performing under this name for ten years before the date of the show, taking part in live telecasts on Rupavahini, Channel Eye and other concerts. Since the Supreme Court has dismissed the injunction and appeal filed by the Asia Broadcasting Corporation (Pvt.) the band is jubilant over their victory and will soon stage the show they had to cancel at the Elphinstone Theatre and will call it the Hiru Classic Musical. The Hiru Musical Band was formed in 1991 and performed at Mount Lavinia Hotel for many of the special functions of the Hotel. Duminda Kalyan Kadigamuwa got together with his musician friends to launch the band, which soon found success in the Oriental scene. Duminda who plays percussion - tabla and congas has had considerable experience having played with the Miracles, Tri-Star and West Oriental. According to the leader, the band comprises seven musicians with two vocalists Dushyanthi Deepika and Vishva Paranayapa, and they are now working on recording their debut CD which will contain sixteen songs. "I'd like to thank SLBC, Rupavahini, ITN and Lakhanda for all the support
they gave the band before we had to face the injunction and also Rohana
Weerasinghe, Lalith Sarathchandra the Law Students Buddhist Brotherhood and
several others who helped us. The Hiru Musical Troupe is now ready to take
on the music scene," states a happy Dumindu. - M.P. |
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