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| Sunday, 28 July 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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The brush work of Wimal
Many of the advanced oil paintings of Wimal Aluthwela have found a haven in the homes of appreciative collectors in the States. A veteran artist from Gampola, Aluthwela while teaching at the Pilimatalawa Aesthetic Teachers' Education College and lecturing at the Open University of Sri Lanka has created some beautiful oil paintings. Pupils of art who came under his tutelage have done him proud. They collected forty-nine gold, twenty-four silver and eighteen bronze medals in addition to many valuable prizes in cash and kind through paintings exhibited in art competitions held in Great Britain, Soviet Russia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, West Germany and in Sri Lanka. Born in Rambukkana, Aluthwela during his early school days won several prizes and competitions for his outstanding creations in child art conducted by the Royal Arts Society of Great Britain.
He was well known throughout Sri Lanka as Wimal Mama who guided children on creative art through his art page telecast on Rupavahini. =================== 'Sthree' at Alliance, Kandy Sixty pieces of art displaying the Agony and Ecstasy of Woman in
society and an exposition of chinese Calligraphy by the well known With the use of bright colours - yellows, dark reds, greens and browns and the materials - silk with stone colours, ink on rice paper and Chinese brushes made out of bamboo, horse hair, goat hair and cat hair, she has excelled in her expressions of 'sensuous feminity' which seems to be her forte. A product of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China Jayamini de Silva has held many exhibitions in China including one for the 51st Independence Day Celebration at the Hilton Hotel, Beijing, China. Besides many of her paintings have been in exhibition at galleries in Cyprus, Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. =================== Victor Hugo commemoration To commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of the famous French writer Victor Hugo, the French language and Cultural Institute, Matara held an exhibition of paintings depicting special stages of his novel 'Les Miserables' Dr. Kularatne an eminent surgeon in Matara is seen giving his address, while Jacques Charier, Cultural Affairs Attache of the French Embassy and Prof. Ruhunage of the Ruhana University look on. (Pic. H.D. Surendra SP Pic. Special Correspondent) =================== "Sakvithi Mola" at Lumbini by Anjana Gamage
"Sakvithi Mola", first ever Sri Lankan stage play selected for the finals of the Alexander S. Onassis International Theatre Competition in Greece, 2001 will be staged on August 1 and 2 at 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm at the Lumbini Hall, Colombo 5. Jayalal Rohana, veteran stage and teledrama actor who first produced the stage play titled "Loka" is the director and script-writer of "Sakvithi Mola". "This is not theatre in its strick sense.
These are only happenings and I have presented it in my own style, he said. "The basic theme of the story is about war and its futility and I depicted it in a different way. The translation of "Sakvithi Mola" titled "Bullets" in English was an entry at the Alexander S. Onassis International Theatre Competition and was selected for the finals out of 537 entries from 74 countries", he added. The cast include Mercy Edirisinghe, Prasad Sooriyaarachchi, Lalith Rajapakse, Hepathi Kularatne, Lal Premaratne, Ranjith de Silva, Chamila Jeevanthi Kotalawela, Nilu Liyanage, Kriska Deepani and Jayalal Rohana.Production was by Keerthi Wijeratne. =================== Fathers among the Christians Sinhala Christians, like the Buddhists, call their fathers 'ta:tta' or 'appachchi' but use other words when they refer to God, priests and god-fathers. Their noblest father is God and in the Lord's prayer, He is addressed as 'piya:neni' (O Father). One of the commonest words for Christian priests is 'piya tuma' (the father) or 'piya tumek' (a father). With personal names of priests, it comes after the name: Jayakody piyatuma: (Father Jayakody) This title has a particularly Buddhist flavour because of the word 'nama'. The Sinhala word 'nama' means 'the name' and 'namak' means 'a name.' Thus the Sinhalese say 'mage nama' to mean 'my name' and 'honda namak' to mean 'a good name'. It is also used in referring to Buddhist monks. ha:muduru nama (the monk) ha:muduru namak (a monk) Sometimes the plural noun 'ha:muduruvaru' (monks) is completely deleted because it is understood that the words 'nama' and 'namak' are used only in counting monks. tun nama (the three monks) pas namak (five monks) Christians have god-parents and the god-father is called 'panna'" in which the sound 'n' is pronounced somewhat like 'ny' as in English 'canyon.' =================== 100 voices in harmony Holy Family Convent will present 100 voices in harmony at the school auditorium at 7 p.m. on August 3 and 4 to mark their centenary year celebrations. The event has been organised by the President of the Past Pupils Association, Ms Santhosi Herath Watupuluwa and will be presented by the best voices of past and present pupils HFC has produced, from the age of eight to sixty. The jubilee year fund raiser is a unique suggestion of the Principal of HFC, Rev. Sister Canice. The 100 voices in harmony will be a presentation by past pupils and present ones from the lower and upper school under the guidance and inspiration of Soundarie David and the Choral Director with well-known Jerome de Silva as producer. The Peterite Choral will also give two items and sing with the school choir of HFC as well. The 100 voices will sing on themes of praise, gratitude, joy, Beethoven's scintillating Ode to Joy, 'chorus' of the Hebrew Slaves and The Hallelujah Chorus to name a few. =================== A leap in classical music by Seneka Abeyratne Haydn's The Creation, an oratorio in three parts for solo voices, chorus and orchestra, was recently performed by the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Symphony Chorus with members of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra and the Amsterdam Chamber Orchestra, at the BMICH, Colombo. To produce a work of this complexity and magnitude in collaboration with foreign artistes was a remarkable undertaking by the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka. Only about two months of rehearsal time went into this monumental production. There are several reasons why it could be considered a landmark event. First, this was the first time The Creation was performed in its entirety here (nearly two hours of playing time). Second, it terms of sheer scale and emotional intensity, this was a giant leap for classical music in Sri Lanka. Third, on this day (July 3), the Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Chorus rose to new heights and gave such a polished performance that it left an indelible impression in our minds. For those of us who were fortunate enough to see the oratorio performed with such style and panache, this was a memorable occasion as well as a deeply satisfying emotional experience. To the 120 musicians who took part in this concert (including the five soloists), we owe a debt of gratitude for giving us some idea of the grace and joyous exuberance that inspired Haydn to compose his immortal work. The Creation, an oratorio of epic proportions, was composed by Haydn between October 1796 and April 1798, the longest time he had ever spent on a single composition. The libretto (written by an unknown British author and translated into German by Baron Gottfried Van Swieten) gives a scriptural account of creation in a clear three-part form, using Bible verses interspersed with passages adapted from John Milton's Paradise Lost. The Creation is regarded as one of Haydn's greatest accomplishments, matched in popularity as a sacred work only by Handel's Messiah - an act of faith that serves to remind us of the intimate link between spiritual conviction and creative genius. The oratorio celebrates the creation of nature, followed by the creation of man and woman, by God. The music takes on beautiful colours, forms, shapes and proportions, which symbolize the marvels of creation (birds, animals, storms, winds, clouds, rain, hail and snow, not to mention sunrise and morning dew), woven into delicate, multi-part textures that border on the ethereal. Some of the sounds and passages are unforgettable, such as the sunrise, the eagle's flight, the clarinet's merry lark, the bassoon's tender dove, the nightingale's ornamental melody, the lion roar and the hippo grunt. Throughout the oratorio, there is a gradual progression from the parts to the whole, a series of pastoral movements dotted with lyrical passages, enchanting arias, and interweaving harmonies, culminating in a brilliant and ecstatic double fugue, where the five soloists join the chorus in giving a final shout of praise. In Parts I and II, Milton's angels, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael, give a scriptural account of the first six days of creation, while in Part III, Adam and Eve give praise to God and express their love for each other in the Garden of Eden in a pseudo-operatic style. Gayathrie Peiris as Gabriel (soprano), Robert Johnston as Uriel (tenor) and Michael Dewis as Raphael (bass) were in total control and produced a charming blend of solos, duets and trios. Their superior performance was reflected in the clarity of their voices, their profound technical mastery of intricate vocal arrangements, and their ability to enrich the orchestral music with subtle variations in mood and emotional intensity. At times they held the audience spellbound with their virtuoso singing. Then came 19-year-old Dhilan Gnanadurai as Adam (baritone) and 16-year-old Eranga Goonetilleke as Eve (soprano), who were a revelation. Even though young and relatively inexperienced, they showed no signs of stage fright and sang with a great deal of poise and self-assurance. If Eranga had flair and resonance, then Dilan had grace and maturity beyond his years. Their voices were clear and well modulated and won the hearts of the audience. The Orchestra and Chorus were truly delightful and succeeded in bringing out the joy and beauty of Haydn's music. Never before have they given such a neat, tidy and uplifting performance. Perhaps the only noticeable flaw in the entire performance was a slightly tentative beginning, but from then on, it was pure magic. Lalanath de Silva was at his best and deserves full praise for his masterful conducting, especially his expert handling of tempo, mood and tonal variation. Gregory Rose (Guest Chorus Director) and Soundarie David (Chorus Director) must also be commended for bringing together a group of amateur singers and grooming them into a professional outfit within a few weeks. All in all, a lovely, soul-stirring performance by the Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony Chorus-one that will be remembered and cherished for a very long time. =================== Black and White are colours too By Prasad Abu Bakr A colourful theme turns lack lustre as the plot calls for more close detail Kalu Sudu Mal (Colourless Flowers?)
Director Mohamed Niyaz who is known for his 'off-beat themes', with his recent effort 'Kalu Sudu Mal' has come up with yet another refreshing experience for the local cinema in which a spade of 'bad movies' has followed one after the other in recent times, in comparison, to an exceptional few such as this. Even though Niyas's attempt to emerge differently deserves applause a little bit of scrutiny into his plot during initial stages would have smothered out a few rough edges which in return could have improved his presentation. The characters of the members from a recognised terrorist group lacked depth as the film failed to portray their past which in turn left viewers wandering why they did? What they did? eventhough a broad belief covers-up that all terrorist group members join hands for a common cause but, if one isolates each one of them they are there because of something which happened to them, which effected their personal lives, that something was missing, this gave the theme an appearance of a superfluous nature.
It was also amazing to note how the director miscast Yoshoda Wimaladharma, while the leading role of Nirmala had so much of potential in it, Yashoda was made to play a role which any small time actress would have got away with. Dilhani Ekanayake who is evolving as a serious character artist failed in her attempt to do justice to her portrayal but amazingly her characterisation of her role of a Tamil girl in Asoka Handagama's 'Me Mage Sandhai' was near brilliance, eventhough both films were made around the same period it is questionable how an actress could respond differently. Kamal Addaraarchchi who by now has mastered the art walked through his role, his dedication and hard work earlier in his career seemed to be paying off. Veena Jayakody one of my favourites, used a very stiff approach to her role, Linton Semage was good as usual. One of the sequences which showed a little boy from the neighbourhood (which Nirmala and Dilip moves into) appeared very stupid, what harm could have come to the young couple if that dog was returned? That whole scene looks irrelevant, if the director used those scenes to convey how aloof that couple wanted to be in that house spoke volumes because it appeared isolated every time it was shown, not even a dog will want to get in there. Technically something needs to be stressed not only of this film but also of many others released recently, sounds of footsteps when characters are walking about has been dubbed in so loud that it sounds as if feet are being deliberately stamped on the floor, in case of 'Kalu Sudu Mal' most of the sounds, were blown out of proportion other than when it really mattered, that of the crucial bomb set to kill the visiting foreign leader. Out door visuals where beautiful and added more value to the product. Besides a leading cast the film has other top names stringed on to its production. Dr. Sunil Ariyaratne's lyrics to the only song of the film sung by Samitha Mudunkotuwa and Priya Suriyasena fitted well into the theme, camera work by two leading names K.D. Dayananda and Andrew Jayamanne, music by Sarath de Silva, M.S. Aliman's editing together with costumes by Mani Mendis all contributed largely. Produced by Amal Rodrigo, an effort by a contemporary director 'Kalu Sudu Mal' is worth a visit by serious movie goers. |
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He later joined the College of Fine Arts and honed his artistry under
such renowned artists as David Paynter, Stanley Abeysinghe and Tissa
Ranasinghe. Quite naturally in recognition of his talents he was awarded
scholarships to India, Russia and Italy which culminated in a successful
exhibition at the Lionel Wendt in 1989.
artist
Jayamini de Silva opened at the Alliance Francaise, Kandy on Friday July
26. The exhibition will be on till Sunday August 4. A lecturer in Fine
Arts at the University of Peradeniya Jayamini de Silva has titled her
exhibition 'Sthree' because as she says 'being a woman I can identify
myself closely with other women.' Her themes portrayed in her paintings
are mainly on women as well on subjects like harmony, joy and
togetherness.
