Sri Lankan signature in Music
Particularly referring to me in the audience, "Ranga meka
mathakathiyaganna" (Ranga, remember this) Prof. Carlo Fonseka referring
to Pradeep's extra-ordinary talents at the press briefing on the release
of his CD 'Sithijaya', stated that as Einstein changed his mind when he
saw Yehudi Menuhin playing violin at the age of ten and said "Now I know
there is a God in heaven". Einstein was a rationalist who believed in no
Gods.
Among other thing, Prof. Carlo Fonseka also stated that such great
pieces of music come from a man with a charming disposition and an
upright character.

Pradeep performing at Asia Society in USA
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Well-versed in many traditions of music, Pradeep Ratnayake portrays a
universal musician who is embarked on a journey in search of Sri Lankan
identity in a kind of music which is both international in flavour and
outlook. It is this music which is conversant with many traditions of
music such as rock and jazz yet with a distinctive Sri Lankan signature
that moved the audience from East to the West.
His forte is that he was able to bring the Sitar, a pivotal
instrument in classical Indian music out of its traditional milieu
rendering it a new soul. The very soul of his compositions is the
insignia of nation craftily embedded in fusion music, playing guitar,
Sitar in the traditions of rock, jazz and classical Western music along
with Sri Lankan percussion instruments such as Geta bera, Tammatama.
Engrossed in the classical Hindustani music in the world renowned
Santhiniketan, India, Pradeep obtained his Master of Music in 2003 with
a First Division pass and excelled in classical Sitar, perhaps, as the
best student of legendary Ravi Shankar.

Pradeep with Freddie Ravel, a number one pianist in the USA after performing
together at the Walt Disney. |
His extra-ordinary grasp of both Eastern and Western traditions of
music enabled him to expand the spectrum for Sitar which is universally
associated with Indian classical music. Since his return from
Santhiniketan in 1997, he launched his now famous concert series
Pradeepanjalee with blend of tradition and a load of innovation.
So far - concerts have been conducted in diverse venues including the
United Nations Headquarters in Geneva; the prestigious Asia Society, New
York; The Kennedy Centre Millennium Stage, Washington Disney Theatre in
Los Angeles, California, and Vienna Musikverein, Austria. The sixth
concert was conducted to celebrate the 54th Anniversary of the Republic
Day of India sponsored by the India-Sri Lanka Foundation and the eighth
by the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission.
One of the significant characteristic of concerts in Sri Lanka was
that the concerts commenced with a classical Indian Raga as a tribute to
the great tradition which brought forth Pradeep and then proceeded to
his own style of playing, fusing sitar with the cello, the violin, the
piano or the saxophone; and has as its accompaniment the drums of Sri
Lanka and India as well as the more traditional tabla.

Recording for his first film with Dr.Lester James Piries (Wekanda
Walauwwa) Sumithra Piries and the recordist Dayananda Perera |
Pradeep was conferred an Award at the National Music Festival for
services rendered to music in Sri Lanka in 2001. A composer of rare
distinction, so far he has composed music for films and on special
occasions. Indrakeelaya, a symphonic tone poem, was composed on the
occasion of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Central Bank of Sri
Lanka and was performed at the ceremonial opening of the New
Headquarters Building of the Central Bank in 1999.
He composed music for score of films commencing from Dr. Lester James
Pieris's Wekanda walawwa (Mansion by the Lake) followed by Mage Wam Atha,
a film by Linton Semage which entered the competitive section of the
Locarno Film Festival and Sathyajith Maitipe's 'Boradiya Pokuna' which
won several international awards although still not being screened in
Sri Lanka. Like in his compositions, Pradeep has used fusion music to
the specific requirements of the director.
In a way it is estrange that very little records were made of
Pradeep's composition of music for films as well as the music composed
by Harsha Makalanda. As far as this ill-treatment is concerned, it is
incomprehensible whether this indifference on the part of establishment
is sprung from jealousy or revenge. In former scenario, those who are
Jealous accumulate sins and the latter is the wildest form of justice.
If not of those cases, it is no reason other than the poor understanding
of Fine Arts.
Inspired by Pradeep's virtuosity, Lalanath de Silva, an Associate
Conductor in the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka composed the Sitar
Concerto where Pradeep is the soloist, has been performed jointly by
Bomby Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka as a part of
joint the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of India and Sri Lanka, in
Bombay (Tata Theatre) and in Colombo.
The Concerto was also performed in February 2004 as part of
International East-West Music Festival, where Pradeep was backed by the
Amsterdam Chamber Orchestra. Indrakeelaya, Roots, Visva are the three
compact disks of Pradeep Ratnayake's music.

Pradeep rehearsing with father at the age of 10 |
Pradeep's next CD titled Sithijaya (Horizon) will be launched at the
Pradeepanjalee XII concert to be held on July 15 2007 at the BMICH. The
Concert which will be videoed by Torana, will be the first DVD Concert
of the Pradeepanjalee series. A DVD of the concert will be released.
So far Pradeep has released five CDs, the first being the 'Sitar Gee
Ravaya' launched in 1991. The CD explores the Sitar's proximity to human
voice. In the CD, Sita's sound is rendered in place of vocalists' in
popular numbers.
However, the Sithijaya will be different from previous CDs as it
contains very simple compositions catering to popular taste. The
compositions though simple in structure, are of highest standards and
poised to uplift the popular taste of music and could even be enjoyed
while travelling. The CD will be distributed by Torana.
Little known fact of this multi-faceted personality is his
involvement in reforming syllabi for Aesthetic Subjects. Pradeep was
appointed the chairman of the Committee reforming syllabi for Aesthetic
Subjects.
The syllabi which were designed with emphasis on practical aspects
will come into effect by the end of year 2007. The syllabi are designed
with practical flavour, in order to develop skills at various levels and
teach students to apply their acquired knowledge in a broader contest.
Pradeep is a senior lecturer in the Department of Languages and
Cultural Studies at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka.
[email protected]
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Memorable Quotations
"You have heard glorious music. As you can see Pradeep is a person of
enormous talent and I am sure one day would be the Ravi Shankar of Sri
Lanka.
Pradeepanjalee means the offering of your own self. Pradeep is
offering his entire self and not just his music to the audience. And it
is when that happens that the vibrating string of the sitar, the soul of
the raga and the soul of the musician are one. Then your soul - your
mind is coloured by vibrant and incandescent colour.
And that is the essence of the music. - Nirupam Sen, from the speech
delivered by His Excellency, the High Commissioner of India, at
Pradeepanjalee VII. He is now the Indian Ambassador to the United
Nations.
"It was the 50th anniversary of the Central Bank in 2000, and we
dared the young musician, Pradeep, to compose a fitting memorial to the
bank in music, as Guiseppe Verdi did to immortalize the opening of the
Suez Canal by his opera, "Aida".
Pradeep took up the challenge and what he produced - Indrakeelaya -
is a magnificent tone poem, which is yet reverberating in our ears.
Delving deep into our cultural roots and the heroic poems of other
cultures, Pradeep's composition on the theme of a phoenix rising out of
the ashes, was a tribute to the bankers who survived a devastating
attack on the premises a few years before. Pradeep's Indrakeelaya (the
unshakable) is widely acknowledged as a classic" - A. S. Jayawardena,
former Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
"Ravi Shankar, when he was not much older than Pradeep now, played
bhairavi to great effect, in the same hall some 42 years ago, as Pradeep
played yaman. I will remember both with equal pleasure."
Dr. G. Uswattearachchi, United Nations Committee for Development
Policy, New York (Daily News, November 10, 2004)
Young, but with an unerring sense of musical judgment arising
undeniably from his technical virtuosity, Pradeep seems, as a performer,
mature beyond his years. "Pradeep is no conventional musician. He brings
to his performance the compulsive energy and a trans-like quality which
we associate with jazz players.
What makes the jazz performer and his mixed progeny, the rock star,
so exciting is that both enjoy playing and make the audience share in
their ecstasy. Pradeep plays with controlled ecstasy.
His is not in a drugged trance, but he works his sitar with
passionate involvement, which communicates with the listener, and unlike
in the chamber quality of Indian music, this elicits a collective
response." Tissa Abeysekera, Novelist and Film Director |