Entertainment

Young Asian baritone plays Zurga

by Mahes Perera

To be eighteen and be chosen to sing and act one of the leading roles in Bizet's immortal The Pearl Fishers is a praiseworthy achievement for the young baritone singer Vikrant Subramaniam. This is a first time in the lead role of Zurga for Vikrant although he was a member of the chorus of The Pearl Fishers when the opera was performed in India two years ago.

Would you say that the music of The Pearl Fishers is unusually heavy? "If you look at the story line then I think the music is appropriate. From the second act the music gets complicated it sets the mood for the story and it is quite applicable."

Carmen has its impact would you go round whistling the tunes of The Pearl Fishers for instance? "Bizet wrote Carmen before The Pearl Fishers, he never visited Ceylon and so he drew from his imagination of what he learnt about the country. But I think it is as beautiful as Carmen. There's Nadir's aria from Act II Scene I which has its impact."

Emotionally does the role demand a lot from you considering you are young and you play the tribal chief Zurga?

"Very definitely yes. Emotionally yes. Because of the variety of emotions that run through the whole opera. There's anger, there's happiness, there's jealousy there's rage. Yes it's demanding and I find it comfortable although in terms of work its demanding."

Are you nervous for opening night? "The rehearsals have been intense and good. In school I've had my exposure to stage and its experience. It makes it good to be nervous, it makes you more confident once you overcome the start."

You are eighteen and you hail from India famous for its Indian classical music. Apart from Western classical music are you into pop, rock, jazz or fusion?

"I enjoy pop and I find it equally beautiful. The rock of Pink Floyd, The Doors, Deep Purple - yes, I still listen to rock and I enjoy jazz but I don't sing it. My teacher Situ Singh who trained me advised me to be careful about my voice. You see I studied in Delhi. I studied Broadway songs. When my voice changed I was looking for genres of music. I joined Neemrana Music Foundation and was trained by Situ Singh and was sent to France for voice and music training for two years at a Conservatory. I play the guitar and accompany myself.

This is your first time to Sri Lanka how do you feel about it? "Absolutely pleasant. The people are so friendly and due to the work schedule I couldn't visit many places but I've decided to come back to take in more of Sri Lanka."

By the time you read this, the cast of the much hyped Bizet's The Pearl Fishers may be wending their way home and carrying with them happy memories of Sri Lanka - the land of origin of the opera. More than a 150 cast comprising musicians from France, India, Korea and Sri Lanka were in the presentation which was sponsored by Sri Lanka Tourism in collaboration with the French Embassy in Sri Lanka and other noteworthy organisations.

Pic: Sudath Nishantha

Music a la Pearl

by Mahes Perera

The Renaissance, Dubai swung to the exciting sounds of the Sri Lankan popular dance band Pearl when the group was featured at the prestigious Lanka Lions Ball held recently. The event according to keyboardist Jayantha de Silva leader of Pearl was a smashing success with groovers wanting more and more music to dance their cares away.

The evening also featured Summerset with guest artiste Desmond de Silva who never fails to send the audience into a high with his performances, and the show was threaded together by Clifford Richard. "It was good to meet up with the Lanka Lions who had organised a fabulous show," says Jayantha.

Pearl had a successful run of gigs last year which culminated with their rousing performance at the New Year's Eve celebrations at Holiday Inn. The group is a popular choice at many corporate functions, dances and is a regular on Friday evenings at the Hilton Colombo.

Their musical repertoire is extremely elastic - ranging from pop, hits of the 60's, 70's, 80's, swing, jive, cha-cha, evergreens and all the danceable standards. The vocals are shared by the female glitz Jacki Silva, Jayantha, Lalith Perera - who is also adept at playing drums and guitar and Tony Ferdinandus a strong and outstanding guitarist.

The other members of the band are Victoreen de Silva the bassist and Ransiri Pieris the drummer. Catch their sounds this Friday and you can be assured of an enjoyable evening of music the Pearl way.

Little Voice -the play with music

Drama lovers will have the opportunity to enjoy the award winning play 'The Rise and Fall of Little Voice' when the British Theatre playhouse will stage it at the Colombo Hilton on February 1 and 2 at 7.00 pm. On February 1 it will be a dinner theatre while on February 2 the production will be in theatre style.

Directed by Alexander Holt with musical direction by Stuart Barr it will be performed by a stellar cast from the British stage, television and film industry.Rachael Wood who plays Little Voice is a graduate of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and has starred in many musicals like Follies, No Business Like Show Business, Rave On, The Story of Buddy Holly and Chess to name a few.

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is the story of a shy and reclusive girl named Little Voice (LV) on account of her soft voice.

She has a remarkable talent for recreating the singing voices of Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and others who remind her of her late father's passion for music. There's no doubt Little Voice will captivate you.

The cast includes John Mc Adie, James Cartwright, Sandra Duncan and Michelle McManus who was the winner Pop Idol UK. The proceeds will go towards the Ceylon School for the Deaf and Blind.

Memorial concert

The Rukmani Devi Memorial Concert to commemorate her 85th birth anniversary will be held at the Public Library Auditorium on Tuesday January 15. The show is being staged by the Rukmani Devi Commemoration Organisation.