|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 15 June 2003 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
The Boys from Vienna : The first time around by KAREL ROBERTS RATNAWEERA
November 1954. The cultural desert of Colombo, as the arty-crafty, culture vultures and some of Colombo's self-styled music critics of those days shortly after the British left these shores used to like to describe the city where Western cultural events were few and far between,had suddenly come alive with the announcement that the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir was to give a performance (live,as they say now, as though anyone can give a performance dead). Colombo's society ladies began creating their clothes for the great event; 'made-up' saris, glass nylon and even early Batiks were shaken out of moth balls and hung up to crease out. There were no male models to strut around at such cultural events even if they didn't know whether they were going to hear a choral concert by the Vienna Boys or a tabla recital by whoever, sporting costumes as they do today. The venue being spruced up for the musical event of the year was no Golden Clef auditorium; it was nothing more glitzy than St. Peter's College Hall, Bambalapitiya, where a few palm pots were stuck around in the name of decor. The team getting the choir out was that unbeatable duo of business acumen and impresario par excellence, Donovan Andree, and that undisputed giant of Western musical knowledge in the country, Elmer de Haan, described by the late doyen of journalists, Mervyn de Silva as the scourge of local music teachers. Going to Haan's Wellawatte home with my parents one evening to purchase tickets for the concert direct from him was almost as exciting as the anticipation of going to the show itself; it was certain that Haan would put on an LP of the choir on his superb Leak sound set-up which was the thing in those days. Very few had them,like his Bechstein 'Grand' which was kept in pristine condition with only Roderick Ephraums being allowed to touch it when it came to tuning time.
Came the great day and a classmate and I were seen in to the balcony of the hall while the elders sat downstairs. What to me was then a world of wonder opened up as the boys walked out onto the stage with their accompanist whose name I cannot recall. They are always accompanied on the piano. One thing I do remember was their accompanist was dressed in the manner of a concert pianist, white bow and tails, as is still de rigeur for a concert pianist to wear. It was an evening of wonder and delight to us children . Everyone who was anyone was there. The boys sang from their wide repertoire, from Schubert's Ave Maria to early composers long before Schubert but whose music I find boring to this day-and, of course, the Strauss. What brought the house down was their performance, in costume, of the Johann Strauss operetta 'Die Fladermaus'. 'Even Elmer de Haan could not resist tapping his toes in the wings, but what he didn't realise was that, that activity could be seen by the audience as the toecap of his shoe was just outside the curtain! Of course that added to the gaiety of the evening as far as my companion and I were concerned. After several encores we went home to dissect our dinner and the evening's performance with it. After the Vienna Boys had gone wherever it was they were going from here, by ship, Haan wrote to my parents to say that it was a pity I didn't sell programmes at the concert as I then would have been invited to see the boys off at the jetty where, as he put it as only Haan could, even the Customs officers stopped taking bribes when the choir sang a farewell song! This choir which now enjoys wider popularity than it did then, performed again in Colombo, in the eighties at the Colombo Hilton and last year on a protracted tour that even took them out of Colombo. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who is an avid music lover, graced both these Colombo concerts. Their Colombo performances this time around will be on June 25 at the Ceylon Continental Hotel, on the 26 - a school concert - at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium and at St. Theresa's Church, Thimbirigasyaya on the 27th. The tour is sponsored by the Sunday Observer, the Daily News, Ceylon Continental Hotel, Qatar Airways, Gold FM and Dynavision and Jetwing. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
Having bought the tickets, Haan asked whether I would like to help sell
programmes at the concert; parental permission not granted. Like I said,he
did put on something on his 'Leak' but it was not the Vienna Boys, however
it was something they would be singing-the Waltzes of Johann Strauss, a
musical staple in the homes of the English-educated elite of the time.
Quite frankly, I enjoyed the superb orchestrated version of those
perennially grand waltzes than all the choirs in the world singing them.
