Creative Compositions

Dr. Prabath launches album in Nepal

by Mahes Perera

'History in the making' happened on March 28 when the album 'Nepa-Sri' was launched in Pokhara, Nepal. The CD was a collaboration of Dr. Prabath Peiris and Durga Shah Baba. This is the first CD released by a Nepalese and a Sri Lankan artiste in Nepal and could rightly be recognised as a milestone in the history of Sri Lankan music. The occasion was graced by the Sri Lankan Ambassador in Nepal W.M. Senevirathna who according to reports was overwhelmed by the feat performed by two exceptional talents.

The songs in Nepalse were written by Durga Shah Baba and were sung by Dr. Peiris who apart from his musical career is a double doctorate holder in management and currently is a freelance management consultant. Reflecting on his career in the music industry he was the first Sri Lankan to be selected by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation to represent Sri Lanka in China at the Shanghai Asia Music Festival in 1999 and he carried off the New Singer Award. "The music industry is very tough. It's a tough challenge. But if you persevere in your dreams and believe in what you are doing - you will find success - that has always been my motto" said Dr. Peiris.

Question: You mentioned earlier when we spoke, that your music career began when you were in Malawi (Central Africa). In fact you grew up in Malawi and you lived there with your parents for 15 years. African rhythms are an ideal base for creative compositions, how far were you influenced by African rhythms in your compositions?

Answer: Malawi and African music was an influence I will never forget.

I learnt a lot from the many percussive beats which I incorporated in my compositions. In fact in 1995 I was the first Sri Lankan to release an African album. The album was titled UFO and the band was our family band Super Melodies. In Malawi the music scene was open to Indian music and so I can say that UFO was a combination of African and Indian flavour.

Q: This album Nepa-Sri which you launched in Pakhara Nepal on March 28 this year, has created history for you and your collaborator Durga Shah Baba. Could you go into detail about the music and the songs and how the whole project came about?

A: I always had this idea to do something new, which no Sri Lankan has attempted. I felt this was a good opportunity and my collaborator Durga Shah Baba, is one of the most reputed poets in Nepal.

He asked me whether I could compose the music for his poetry and sing it too. Durga Shah Baba is the deputy director of Nepal Rastra Bank and holds a masters in political science. A winner of the Annapurna music award as the best lyricist in 2009, he has published a series of books on poetry. His elemental triology of love, land and nature has been acclaimed as a powerful attestation on poetic craftsmanship.

There are eight songs on the album. I sang six of the songs along with Maya Gurung a prominent singer and actress in Nepal. My dad Weerasinghe Peiris composed the music for two of the songs.

The lyrics are in Nepalese and the CD is distributed globally by the well-known label in Nepal - 'Music Nepal' and the songs are available on ITunes.

Q: What are the themes of these eight songs and now that you have launched the CD what do you hope to do next?

A: The themes of the songs portray love, happy times and sadness. Now that we have launched the CD, our next step is to go to Nepal - I have been invited to perform some live shows. In Nepal there are many music bands and full orchestras incorporating drums, tabla, dolat, guitar and violin.

I'm a music director. I have my own studio in Nepal as well as a studio in Sri Lanka. There are many requests on facebook from fans requesting me to perform a show in Nepal and I'm having discussions with Durga Shah Baba to work out the details.

Q: You are a Visharad in vocals, where in particular, did you have formal study in this area which has enriched your appreciation in Indian music?

A: I obtained my Visharad in vocals from the prestigious Bhathkande college in India with a 'First Class' division. My first gurus in Indian Classical Music were Nipun Sanath Nandasiri in vocals and Sangeeth Visharad and Vadya Nipun P.V. Nandasiri on tabla. I'm mostly into Indian music.

The Visharada exams are also conducted in Sri Lanka through the Sharda Kala Nikatam run by Anil Mihiripenna. The gurus are Sanath Nandasiri, P.V. Nandasiri and several other peers. Western music was handled by the late Shantilal de Silva former Director of Music SLBC.

I was also a Shiha Shakthi member with Ananda Perera and Sangeeth Wickramasinghe. When my parents and I we returned from Malawi in 1997, my dad and I we released a CD of childrens songs in Sinhala in 2012. It was called Punchi Punchi Tharu and it was the first Sri Lankan CD in three languages - Sinhala, English and Tamil. Coming back to 'Nepa-Sri' I am happy I was involved in the recording and release of the CD, because it is certainly a milestone in the history of the Sri Lankan music industry.