A night at the opera

The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka will present a Gala Opera Night on May 31 at the BMICH. The concert will be a treat for Colombo’s music loving audiences especially those who enjoy opera choruses and arias.

The Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Gregory Rose, no stranger to our stages, and a conductor whose association with the orchestra goes back to over a decade. The concert will feature Asitha Tennakoon one of Sri Lanka’s finest tenors as the soloist. The SLOS chorus comprises leading choirs from Colombo and Kandy and will sing a selection of your favourite and ringing choruses.

Asitha Tennakoon’s operatic credits include the title role in Brittens Albert Herring, Tamino in Die Zauberflote, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Arturo Bucklow in Lucia di Lammermoor, Gastone in La Traviata, Odoardo in Handel’s Ariodante, Le Doyen de la Faculte in Massenet’s Cendrillon and Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus. Asitha has been featured as a soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, the Columbus Philharmonic Choir, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Baroque orchestra, the chamber Music Society of Colombo, the Philharmonic Choir and the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka.

At the opera gala on May 31 some of Asitha’s performances will include Mozarts – Il Mio Tesoro, Gounod’s – Ah! Leve - oi, and Verdis De mieibollenti spiriti.

Gregory Rose, a professor of conducting at Trinity Ladan, London where he is also a staff conductor makes his eighth visit to Sri Lanka to conduct the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka at the opera. In March 2009 Gregory Rose conducted the historic performance of Verdis Requiem at the Anglican Cathedral which attracted an audience of around 2000 people.

Gregory Rose’s compositions include orchestral works, Thampanni, which was premiered by SOSL in 2004, Tapiola Sunrise and Birthday Ode for Aaron Copland and many choral works including Missa Sancta Pauli Apostoli which won an award at the 2006 British Composer Awards. In March 2009 his Clarifice me Peter, dedicated to Camerata Musica, Colombo was premiered at their Holy Saturday Concert.

His new music – theatre piece Danse macabre in Tallinn, Estonia which he conducted will be made into a commercial recording in October this year.

Last year his song-cycle Avebury Stone Circles premiered in Texas USA and he will be returning there later this year to hear another song-cycle, Dancing in Sun-split Clouds. In July he will conduct a new ensemble work Red Planet with CoMA London Ensemble.

The SLOS chorus will perform Verdis Anvil Chorus, and the chorus of the Hebrew slaves from Nabucco. Puccini’s Humming Chorus and Leoncavallo’s Bell Chorus from I Pagliacci are also in the program.

MP