Magic in the hills

By Husna Inayathullah

“I grew up with the guitar and the guitar speaks at this concert,” says Nadeeka Guruge, one of the more influential young composers in the Sri Lankan music scene. He is talking about his upcoming concerts in the hill country, where music fans are guaranteed a rocking good time with an eclectic mix of rock, blues and folk sounds, all with that special Guruge touch.

The concert titled ‘Nostal Guitar Electrica 2015 ‘ and ‘Echo in the Mountains’ will be staged at the at the Dharmaraja College, Auditorium, Kandy and Town Hall Nuwara Eliya on April 10 and 11 respectively.

The concert in Kandy is Guruge’s second of the Nostal Guitar performance, and is a take off on his highly successful Nostal Guitar Acoustician concert in 2013, showcasing of his musical prowess on electric guitar encompassing rock, blues and folk music genres. ‘Nostal Guitar Electrica 2015’ is backed by Sooriya Record Label.

His second concert in Nuwara Eliya will mark the return of Guruge, to his home town, to a place where he began his career as a musician. ‘Echo in the Mountain’ will feature the duo Kasun Kalhara and Indrachapa Liyanage, who Nadeeka had partnered in a number of highly successful musical events, including Reunion (Kandy) and Romantic Opera (Negombo).

Born in Anuradhapura and abrought up in Nuwera Eliya, Guruge began his music career as a young music researcher in 1999. His first serious musical work was ‘Sanyugma’ a folk and applied music production with Marcello Titto Li, a Bolivian folk Musician in 1999. Since then he is been working in movies, tele dramas, stage dramas, songs and advertising.

Having entered the music industry as folk guitarist, he ventured to the mainstream music industry very recently. “My father was attached to the research unit of the Department of Agriculture, so he had to travel from place to place for research work,” he says looking back to a time when he travelled with his father to different places and recalling how it influenced his music. “ I was able to experience different types of cultures, traditions, people and lifestyles. This inspired me and I believe this was the beginning of my career,” he says.

Guruge was introduced to folk music when his father took my family and moved to Hikkaduwa when he was in grade three. “I got inspired by folk music in Hikkaduwa. I started to do a research on folk music,” he say.

Later he went to Norway and participated in a music concert. “I have done music with the Norwegians and the Swiss. I entered the popular Sri Lankan music scenario in 2000. I composed for ‘Radical Premaya’ by Kasun Kalahara. It was a CD to hit the music market from Torana Music Box. Now I am mostly involved into films,” says Guruge.

Guruge has composed music a number of films including Vimukthi Jayasundara’s ‘Sulanga Enu Pinisa’ which won the camera d'or cannes 2005 at the Internet Movie Database, Prasanna Jayakody’s ‘Sankara’ which won the Silver Pyramid in Cairo in 2006, Jackson Anthony’s Aba in 2007, Prasanna Jayakody’s ‘Karma’ in 2010 which earned a place in the Internet Movie Database, Bennet Rathnayake’s ‘Ira Handa Yata’ in 2009, Aruna Jayawardena’s ‘Nikini wessa’ in 2011, Sugath Samarakoon’s ‘Kuveni’ in 2011, and Inoka Sathyanganie’s ‘Cindrella’ and ‘Gamani ‘ both in 2011.

His stage dramas include Mal Nelanna Ba 1997, Mahesh Kumara’s Gewan Naththan Bambu Gahannada in 2001, Buddika Damayantha’s ‘Master Harrold ‘ in 2003, Piyal Kaariyawasam’s ‘Master Builder’ in 2005, Kaushalya Fernando’s ‘Sanda Langa Maranaya’in 2005 and ‘Rathnawalli’ 2006.

He has also done teledramas such as Geethika Palipana’s ‘Sinidu Piyaapath’ in 2003, Sumithra Rahubaddha’s ‘Aga Pipi Mal’ in 2004, Sumithra Rahubaddha’ ‘Ranga Soba’ in 2005, Lakmini Amaradeva’s ‘Rasthiyadukaraya’ in 2006, Dr. Dharmasena Pathiraja’s ‘Kampitha Wil’ in 2008, Pradeep Dharmadasa’s ‘Ahi pillamak Yata’ in 2009 and Niroshan Perera’s ‘Sihina Aran Enna’ in 2011.

“I recently composed the music for the film ‘Maharaja Gemunu’ a Sinhala epic directed by Jayantha Chandrasiri. I won the Sarasaviya Best Music Director Award for the film Aba, which was directed by Jackson Anthony,” says Guruge.