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A joy to hear and behold

'Wiener Sangerknaben' reads the line on the little sailor-like caps on top of a group of boys dressed in sailor blue suits, grinning mischievously. It spells out in German, The Vienna Boys' Choir. Yes, having taken off from Munich on June 22 they first stepped on to our shores on the 23rd.

Staying at the Ceylon Continental Hotel they also paid a visit through Jetwing to the Lighthouse Hotel in Galle and had an elephant ride at the beach courtesy of Mount Lavinia Hotel.

The Vienna Boys' Choir is one of the oldest boys' choirs existing in the world. For nearly five hundred years they have been a symbol of Austria.

Paul Mueller, President of Classic Live Unlimited who organised the show, addressing the audience at the opening of the concert at Ceylon Continental Hotel.

A founding document of Maximilian I in 1498 called the first dozen boys the imperial court music band. Thus he showed his great interest in contemporary musical developments in Burgundy and the Netherlands. Since then the Vienna Boys' Choir has been a fixed attraction in Austrian musical life. Today, more than 500 years later, the Vienna Boys' Choir continues to sing at Sunday Services in the imperial chapel.

For their Sri Lankan concerts, the Bruckner Choir, one of the four Vienna Boys' Choir groups (the others are Mozart, Haydn and Schubert) prepared a special blend of old and new works of music. A particular treat in this series of concerts was in international folk songs, sung with infectious enthusiasm and the choir's speciality, waltzes and polkas by Johann Strauss jr.

The concerts also saw the rich repertoire stretching from classical to modern music, from Mozart to La Bamba, from Pop music to Singhalese songs, like "Indunil Gangulal". With their enormous success at their concert here in March last year, these young musical ambassadors performed this year on June 25 at the Ceylon Continental Hotel, June 26-Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium and June 27-St. Theresa's Church.

In their visit to the island last year on the last leg of a three months world tour, the organizers of the concerts saw to it that the boys were not only performers in the country but became true friends. After sell-out concerts and standing ovations, they took a sight seeing tour to the Elephant orphanage in Pinnawela and also had a glimpse of the south west coast at the Blue Water Hotel in Wadduwa. Later they had a coffee afternoon at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, where coincidentally, the conductor of the Vienna Boys' Choir Martin Schebesta had one year before, celebrated his honeymoon.

Martin Schebesta speaking to the press at the Ceylon Continental Hotel. With him is the GM of the Hotel, Anil Jayemanne.

Sri Lanka is the only country in Asia where the Vienna Boys' Choir is giving concerts in spite of the SARS virus. They will be leaving the island on the July1.

The Bruckner Choir consists of 25 boys between the age of 10-14. Said Martin Schebesta, at a press conference held at the Ceylon Continental Hotel on the June24, "We were delighted last year in the enthusiasm of the Sri Lankan audience.

"As this time around the boys are at the end of their school year, their stay in Sri Lanka will be not just about concerts and rehearsals but a vacation as well". While some of the boys are here for the first time, others like Rene (the tallest boy in the pictures) are here for their last.

The Vienna Boys Choir visit is sponsored by the Sunday Observer, the Daily News, Ceylon Continental Hotel, Qatar Airways, Classic Live Unlimited, Dynavision, Happy cow-cheese from Austria and Jetwing Hotels Limited.

The profits of the concert will be going to the Sri Lanka Alzheimers Foundation.

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