Cultural DIARY

German Masterworks Concert:

Classical music lovers in for a treat

On June 4 the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka will perform the German Masterworks concert, conducted by the German Conductor Dr. Hans-Jurgen Nagel. The highlight of the evening's programme will be the Beethoven Violin Concerto, performed by Prof. Gottfried Schneider of the Munich School of Music. German Masterworks is sponsored by the Embassy of Germany, in their efforts to support the arts in Sri Lanka.

German classical music could be said to be amongst the most performed in the world. Boasting over 130 professional orchestras with roughly 10,000 members well distributed about the country, Germany has earned the name 'the land of Musik.'

The beginning of what is now considered German classical music could be traced back to the 12th century comprising mainly hymns and other Christian Latin-language music. This was then followed by 'minnesinsingers' or 'love poets' who were aristocrats travelling from court to court creating music. Then came 'meistersingers' whose music was more rule-based and had more form. Chorale and Baroque music developed during the 16th and 17th centuries in Germany with composers like Martin Luther, Dietrerich Buxtehide and Heinrich Schutz.

Originating in Italy but quickly migrating to Germany, Baroque was the first music style to use tonality and artistic use of counterpoint. Germany became one of the most active centres of Baroque music and musicians like Schutz, Praetorius, Schein and Schedt. The pinnacle of this music was undoubtedly in the work of Johann Sebastian Bach during the first half of the 18th century. His work included preludes, cantatas, fugues, concertos for harpsichord, violin and wind, orchestral suites, the Brandenburg Concertos, St. Mathew Passion, St. John Passion and the Christmas Oratorio. Bach's contemporaries were Georg Phillip Telemann and Georg Friedrich Handel.

Orchestral

By the middle of the 18th century the cities of Vienna, Dresden, Berlin and Mannheim were centres for orchestral music. Later in this period, a young German, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, influenced by drama and beauty of Italian music and richness of German music, mixed the two into a style of his own. He is generally credited with the beginning of German-language opera.

Two other great opera composers were also born during this period, Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner. Wagner introduced the simple recurrent musical theme for important characters and ideas. He disliked strict traditional styles and his music changed the course of opera and music forever. Both Wagner and Weber based their operas on German history and folklore. Other German opera composers include Richard Strauss and Engelbert Humperdinck who both wrote for young audiences.

The romantic era of music in the 19th century saw the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. Beethoven was a student of Haydn and wrote unusually daring harmonies and rhythm. He composed numerous pieces for piano, violin, symphonies, chamber music, string quartets and an opera. Schubert created a musical canvas of artistic, romantic poetry and music called 'lied.' Other romantic classical composers of Germany ethnicity were Albert Lortzing, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Bruckner, Max Bruch, Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler.

Composers

There was a divergence between German and Austrian music in the early 1900s which saw works from German composers like Kurt Weill, Paul Hindemith and Carl Orff whose Carmina Burana remains hugely popular. Of the first generation of GDR composers Hanns Eisler and Ernst Herman Meyer are probably among the most famous.

In the second half of the 20th century in West Germany the Darmstadt New Music Summer School was a major centre of European modernism. Composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen and Hans Werner Henze studied here. They began experimenting with electronic sounds in classical music. Henze remains probably the most lauded living German composer. More recently, composers such as Helmut Lachenmann and Olga Neuwirth have explored the possibilities of extended techniques.

Every year since re-known pianist Justus Frantz started it in 1986, the largest festival of Classical music is held in northern Germany. Known as the Schleswig-Holstein MusikFestival, it is held over the summer months and has been held in Kiel, Lubeck, Fleushig, Plon and Eutin as well as at many historical sites in the area.

Today, Germany has over 80 theatre orchestras, 30 concert orchestras and 13 radio orchestras. Public radio stations play a special role in keeping the tradition of classical music alive and at a highly competitive level of performance. They encourage their orchestras to perform on par with their other international counterparts in repertoire and prestige featuring also world famous conductors.

Apart from these, the many chamber orchestras and special ensembles for New and Old Music in each main city and the ensembles of the up and coming talent like the Federal Youth Orchestra and German Youth Orchestra and the many amateur orchestras all populate the orchestral and classical music landscape of Germany.

In Sri Lanka, regular exposure to new music experiences from Germany and performances by German artists is through the Goethe Institute that does much in the way of introducing Sri Lanka to German culture through language and the Performing Arts. The concert on the 4th of June, at the Ladies College Hall, will further enhance the strong cultural ties between the two countries.

MuzikAAAle on June 5

MuzikAAAle, an evening of instrumentals and vocals from Disney to Broadway - will go on the boards at the British School Auditorium on June 5. The chief guest will be Mrs. Nirmali Wickremasinghe, Principal, Ladies' College, Colombo. Presented by the students of Ruvini Hapugalle, MuzikAAAle will showcase some of the best loved Snow White, Phantom of the Opera, Little Mermaid, My Fair Lady, and a selection of songs from Porgy and Bess by Gershwin.

Geoffrey Bawa Memorial Lecture

The Geoffrey Bawa Memorial lecture 2011 will be delivered by Architects Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell Directors and founders of the architectural practise WOHA , Singapore.

This will be held on May 27 at the kularatne Hall, Ananda College, Colombo 10, at 6.30 p.m.

Romaya Ginigani - 2

Bandula Vithanage's Romaya Ginigani - 2 will be staged at the Navarangahala, Colombo 7 on May 29 at 6.30 p.m.

The cast include Sampath Thennakoon, Ratna Lalani Jayakody, Bandula Vithanage, Ayesha Dissanayake, Upali Bandara, Thilini Priyanvada and Ishara Wickremasinghe.

Indian classical dance performance

Indian classical dances presented by Aru Sri Art Theatre will be held on May 27 at the Indian Cultural centre 16/2, Gregorys Road, Colombo.7 at 6 pm. A variety of Indian dance styles such as Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohini , Kathak and Odissi will be performed by more than twenty artists. The performance is directed and produced by Kalasuri.Arunthathy.SriRanganathan

Vesak lantern competition at the British Council

The British Council organised a Vesak Lantern Competition to mark the 2600th Sambuddhatva Jayanthi. Members and non members above 15 years of age were given the opportunity to participate in the competition.

A number of colourful and creative vesak lanterns were developed and submitted for the competition.

The lanterns varied in shape. There were some developed in the traditional attapattam style, where some where shaped like lotuses and stars.

While some were decorated with tissue paper, others were innovative with different raw materials.

Kaushalya Fernando

Join popular stage and screen actress Kaushalya Fernando, on CSN’s “Celeb Chat” at 09.30 pm on Monday May 23 as she talks about the many roles she’s played in life and continues to do so.

Kaushalya landed her first-ever stage role by accident as a “last minute replacement” in “Punchi Apata Dang Therei” directed by her mother in 1979. Interestingly Sri Lankan film goers are yet to see her first screen performance, in Ashoka Handagama’s “Sanda Dadayama” (1996), which is still to hit the screen.

She has since then played memorable roles in ‘May mage Sandai’ (2000), ‘Boradiya Pokuna’ (2002), ‘Sulanga Enu Pinisa’ (Camera d'or at Cannes 2005), Ahasin Wetei (In competition at Venice 2009), ‘Ira Handa Yata (2009), ‘Aakasa Kusum’ (2008), ‘Flying Fish’ (2010) (In Competition for Tiger Award at Rotterdam Film festival (2011), ‘Mouse’ (2011), ‘Three Wheel Diaries’ (2011)