 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. |
