Amaranath, dexterity behind strings

by Aravinda HETTIARACHCHI

"I'm chasing behind something with the purpose of being an exceptional Flamenco guitar artist. I still didn't achieve this dream. I'm running behind it. The music composer, the teacher and the student inside me are mere transitory implements of this target. Any genius passes through such transitory events while achieving a particular target in the society. Or else no one could archive an aesthetic mark as switching a light on."

- Amaranath Ranathunge

There is a constant reconfiguring blend of essence between the Classical and Flamenco reverberation which Amaranath composed and performed in guitar music. Perhaps this is what we have to perceive in his art of music to be of Flamenco music style on his own, after a silent and unrelenting hard career spanning nearly four decades in Sri Lankan guitar history. Yet did Amaranath have the capacity to engrave his real place in the aesthetic culture of Sri Lanka.

Genius Classical and Flamenco guitar artist Amaranath Ranathunge is a simple and a strong persona who came through hardships of life pursuing an objective of being an extraordinary Flamenco guitarist with Classical character. The philosophy of an oppressed people's ethos in Amaranath's strings imerges from the Spanish Flamenco mode shaped with Classical refinement in guitar music.

His primary intention of becoming a mere Flamenco guitarist in the first decade of his career has now been expanded and transformed into a broad and complex style with the intention of uplifting the Flamenco sound into a classical level of reputation in guitar music.

"I started guitar at the age of 8. The two guitars amuse me so much was the Classical and the Flamenco. Now it has already blended with my blood and the system. Now I have no other choice of changing it to another track in music. People would not believe or they would criticize me. Yet, for me, there is no other path in music. Hence, I have no idea of getting involved in local music. And also it is too late to change my path to such an arena," says Amaranath.

He tries to pursue his dream in an underdeveloped country where the majority of guitarists believe the career of guitar playing is as simple as knowing a handful of codes to sing a song. Thus, 33,000 guitarists out of 35,000 of the common popular trend of the guitar culture in this country live their music life within this simple method of playing, according to Amaranath's own study of research concerning guitarists. Therefore, in the first stage of Amaranath's career was reasonably a frustrated one. However, with the key influence of Amaranath, the Institute of Aesthetic Studies in Sri Lanka has recently accepted the classical guitar as a university level subject; consequently, he also gained the chance of publishing his first book, The Classical and Flamenco Guitar with a music CD included. And the amount of students coming behind his guitar teaching method has also been increased in the recent two three years.

These incidental events pushed Amaranath to believe that it is better to be positive of making a developed Flamenco career of his own in Sri Lanka.

The Euro born symphonic musical arrangements involves in making a developed perception of music touches the Indian earth, the main cultural land of South Asia belatedly in the early 20th century under the interference of colonialism.

Sri Lanka started practising these arrangements with a slight delay but, in the same century. Yet this music has only been practised in the church choirs, Army, Navy, Air Force and Police bands or in the small and informal classical music societies or groups formed in Sri Lanka.

Thus, this trend didn't built up its stability as a State Aesthetic Institution. Consequently, today we even hang behind India in the case of developing this mode of music as a tradition.

In a situation as such, is Amaranath in a position to develop a creatively international standard out of his Flamenco? Amaranath's soul is so much confident in this historical challenge. He keeps teaching Classical and Flamenco guitar continuously to build a new Solo generation of international standard in guitar music. .

"I'm a person who came from the less fortunate segment. Therefore, I have chosen the Flamenco as my favourite, a guitar which expresses the rhythm of the oppressed. The musical rhythm of the oppressed is same in any nation", he opined. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europe has sophisticated the aesthetic art practices of eastern cultures to an extra classical standard.

Europe had the economic and the socio-cultural stability to expand them into a develop juncture in world art.

The industrial revolution of 19th century, that did not have direct territorial relationship with the East, has given another rapid heave to this Economic development in Europe.

That gave an even swift to the aesthetic arts occupied in Europe.

Yet Amaranath is trying to swim against the tide by pursuing a target of making a refined guitar generation in this underdeveloped Sri Lanka after 500 years of colonialism, to modify the internationally recognized Flamenco guitar of Europe beyond the horizon of custom.

Would this be possible? There will be an answer, yet to be seen in the horizon?