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| Sunday, 15 December 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Camala Seneviratne : A woman of many facets by LAKMAL WELABADA
Taking a short break from her music teaching career, Camala Seneviratne will be holding an art exhibition at the Public Library Hall, Colombo on December 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thirty five oil paintings and three watercolour paintings will be on display at the exhibition. Camala who was a past pupil of Hillwood College, Kandy started her career as a western music teacher, and taught music at Mahamaya Balika Vidyalaya, Kandy for 25 years. She was teaching at All Saints Maha Vidyalaya, Colombo when she retired from Government service. Since then she has been giving private lessons in music. "`I complete 50 years in my music career; and might have taught over hundred students so far," she said proudly.
Her desire to paint was awakened when she saw the students at work under the renowned artist Mudaliyar Amarasekara. "I happened to pass the Mudaliyar's place. I had retired and had more time to attend to the new pastime. I couldn't follow his class for long, as he died at the age of 100. But, thanks to him, in that short period I learnt a lot about different modes of brush strokes in painting," she said. Camala prefers doing landscapes and wildlife with oils on canvas. She has also done some portraits. Grandmother to six grandchildren, this senior citizen, who will be 84 years on January 14 next year is still active and filled with creative vigour. ###################### Italian Salad - an enchanting experience
Classical music lovers will be happy to learn that Fr. Claver Perera a well-respected and acknowledged singer launched his latest CD Italian Salad on Friday December 13 at St. Mary's Church, Bambalapitiya. As the title suggests of the sixteen songs, thirteen of them are Italian songs, the better known in music circles. Caro Mio Ben, Santa Lucia, Toselli's Serenata, A Vuchella, O Del Mio Amata Ben, Gesu Bambino, Come Back to Sorrento, La Paloma, Piacer D'Amor, La Spagnola, Panis Angelicus to name a few. The tracks were recorded at the chapel oft the National Seminary, Ampitiya with accompaniment by pianist/organist Neranjan de Silva who was also responsible for the recording done on his sensitive high fidelity equipment and processing the CD.
A well-qualified musician and electronics engineer Neranjan was happy to be associated with Fr. Claver Perera. Yearly during the Christmas season Fr. Claver's performance of 'O Holy Night' at Christmas Eve services in church was much looked-forward-to when he conducted the St. Mary's Choral Group or St. Peter's College Choir. Both these choirs whom he nurtured remain famous to this day. Now at the National Seminary since 1989, Fr. Claver trains the choir of the English Academy and has released two CDs, one as recently as three months ago entitled 'Restful Waters'. Formally trained under Professor L. Bucci when he was a seminary student in the Collegia Urbana Propaganda Fide Fr. Claver reveals that the director Professor Bucci was also associated with the famous Academia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Over the years Fr.Claver's singing idols have been Beniamino Gigli, Jussie Bjorling, Fremo Corelli and Andrea Bocelli the Blind young Italian tenor. Now the spiritual director of the National Seminary Fr. Claver hopes that "others find my singing uplifting just as much as I find music and the literary and musical experience inspiring and fulfilling. - Mahes Perera ###################### A Sri Lankan story at the Lanka Oberoi An exhibition of photographs by Martin Pieris an Australian photographer based in Sydney, Australia, will be held the Lanka Oberoi from December 20-25. This work started in 2001 to record the images and stories of individuals in Sri Lanka and will eventually be published in a book-form depicting A Sri Lankan story.
Martin Pieris is Sri Lankan-born and has lived in Australia since 1972. He is a lecturer in Fine Art - Photomedia, at the University of Newcastle, north of Sydney and has been a professional photographer and teacher since the mid-seventies. Martin studied photography at the Canberra Institute of Technical and Further Education in the seventies and took up a position at the Canberra Institute of Arts, Australian National University in 1981. He resigned this position in 1988 to purchase a commercial photographic studio and worked as a commercial, advertising and fashion photographer in both Canberra and Sydney until 1997. With an intention of getting back into teaching, he studied Adult Education at the University of Technology, Sydney. He was appointed as a lecturer in Design photography at the University of Newcastle in 2000 and has subsequently moved into the Faculty of Fine Art at the same University. Martin identifies himself as an "Environmental portraitist" and his love for this type of visual imagery has led him to the "Sri Lankans" project, to photograph and to document the stories of individuals who have made an impact on Sri Lankan society from a cultural and social perspective. This exhibition is an incomplete body of work and is, as the title suggests "Work in progress" and Martin hopes that this showing will bring forth recommendations of others who should be included in the final book. ###################### Bankers in harmony Seventy choristers from many commercial banks will join in harmony to treat the orphans of Mother Theresa Home, Mattakkuliya to an evening of Christmas Carols on December 16. The Association of Chartered Bankers of Sri Lanka Trust is the motivator of this annual festive spectacle. Ms. Saundari David, a well-known music conductress has put the choristers through their paces during the last few weeks. The choristers shall be musically accompanied by a talented group of musicians. The choir will performs carols such as Once in Royal David City, Hark the Herald, Cowboy Carol, Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful, Mistletoe and Wine, Silent Night. There shall be three readings of the first of which shall be by the President of the Association of Chartered Bankers, Sri Lanka Trust, Mr. Jayantha Perera, Senior Deputy General Manager, Hatton National Bank. The event is to be held at St. Joseph's College Chapel, Darley Road, Colombo 10 at 6.30 p.m. All are welcome. ###################### The beauty of human moods by Shanika Sriyananda Liyanagge
It was a rare collection of paintings. Human figures and their difference vividly depicted in bright brush strokes. Each painting relayed a message. Being a lawyer by profession, Geethanjali Ranamukarachchi first realised the value of drawing human figures when she started observing the myriad moods of her clients. "Drawing human figures is fascinating because of their different
behaviour. Can you see the difference between a happy face and an angry
face... a young village lass and a mother soothing her baby ", asks
Geethanjali, who drew inspiration for her current exhibition from life in
Hexham a small city in England. "While I was in England I made Self-taught and independent, her inborn talent in art was sharpened when she was studying art under Kumari Niyangoda, the art teacher of Mahamaya College, Kandy. While reading for her Master's in Law at the De Montfort University, Leicestershire, she spent her time to bring the beauty of human moods on to canvas. Over 25 paintings of human figures and moods are on display at the exhibition scheduled to continue till December 16 at the Alliance Francaise, Colombo. Using oil colours her paintings are all about men and women, old and young, boys and girls and babies. ###################### From Bach to Bartok This was an afternoon of music, entertaining and exhilarating. It was a great idea to encourage young students of music by giving them free tickets. We are truly grateful for this gesture. Those who came, in spite of cramming for end of term tests were unanimous that they had gained a wonderful and rich experience of music. Unusually, the orchestra performed standing - the 'cellos, of course, excepted - an attitude which enhanced the string playing. The saree clad 'cellist seemed quite at home with her music and her costume! To start with I must say that the two National Anthems were played exquisite. May I dare say that the Sri Lankan National Anthem has not been played with so much colour and feeling ever before. In fact, it shone more than the theme from the last movement of Beethoven's Choral Symphony which was chosen as the anthem of the European Union. The Bach Double Violin Concerto (which we playfully call the Dark Bubble) was a subtly controlled performance. The soloists not only sang out the seemingly seamless texture of the two violins but also showed a wonderful balance of counterpoint between 'solo' and 'tutti'. The sheer beauty of this work was further enhanced by the different timbres of the two violins. The first was bright and shimmering while the second violin was mellow and smooth. Was this a conscious choice of instruments or a happy coincidence? It is interesting to note that Bach gives pride of place to the second violin in the first and second movements of this work. The first violin comes scintillating in the brilliant third movement which in its afternoon's performance was truly awesome! Both violins and the supporting tutti maintained an incredible Allegro with professional precision down to the triplets and sparkling runs. The soulful second movement too, was executed with just the right degree of expressive phrasing. This was followed by Preshanthi Navaratnam singing the popular arias from some of Hande's best known works. Perhaps the spirit of "Rejoice greatly" could have been truly captured with a slightly quicker tempo. The second part of the programme began with a pleasing choice: the romantic Symphony for strings in B minor No. 10 by Mendelssohn, the cheerful "sensuous" waltzes of Dvorak and the lively, energetic and passionate Rumanian Dances by Bartok which were a fitting climax to this special afternoon of music. The Allegro of the Mendelssohn displayed a slight insecurity in intonation by the second violins. But that said, I reiterate my heartfelt thanks to the European Union Chamber Orchestra for giving Kandy an afternoon of sheer joy through their choice of programme and their artistry in performing it. Despite the common belief that "Kandy is a sleepy town" the European Union Chamber Orchestra took up the challenge to perform in Kandy, I believe for the first time, and I'd hope they'd perform again for us in the future. The concert was held at the "sleepy" time of 2.45 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. I wonder why? However, the audience turn out and the response was ample proof that Kandy is wide awake when it knows that something good is coming its way! Bridget Halpe, Kandy. |
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The exhibition is sponsored by The Lanka Oberoi and will be
ceremonially opened by Dr. Lester James Peries, the international
award-winning director of Sri Lankan Cinema.
it a
point to visit art galleries and museums to learn the ancient and
contemporary paintings. Even though artists of the ancient paintings were
long since dead, their minds and lifestyles were still fresh and
conspicuous in the paintings they had done", says Geethanjali.
