‘The Art of the Fugue’ at Goethe Institute

The Chamber Music Society of Colombo will present Bach's “The Art of the Fugue”, at the Goethe Institute Auditorium, Colombo 7 on November 24 at 7.30 p.m.

Originally written for the harpsichord, part of the work has been arranged by two brilliant German musician-arrangers, Richard Klemm and Dr. Carl Weymar in 1942.

Bach left the work incomplete, and the Contrapuncti chosen for this particular arrangement best emphasises the string quartet contrasts, dialogue, unanimity, divergence and convergence in that most cerebral of musical forms, the Fugue. The ‘Art of the Fugue‘ will be performed by the principal String Quartet of the Chamber Music Society led by its concert master, Lakshman Joseph de Saram.

In the tradition of the ‘Chamber Music Plus’ series, the evening will be enlivened by the profound music juxtaposed with the spoken word. Carefully chosen prose will be presented by the German scholar Dr. Asoka Mendis de Zoysa. The evening is sponsored in part by Rikskonsertene (Concerts Norway) and by the Goethe Institute in Colombo.

Madam Shobha on Rupavahini

Jayasekara Aponsu's latest comedy, Madam Shobha, is telecast on Rupavahini every weekday at 7.27 p m.

The cast includes Jayasekara Aponsu, Mercy Edirisinghe, Miyuri Samarasinghe, Rashmi Sneha, Bandula Wijeweera, Sarath Kulanga, Harry Wimalasena, Ratna Sumanapala, Mahinda Karunaratne, Nimal Yatiwella, D.B. Gangodatenna, Chethana Ketagoda, Malky Gamage, Manoj Denipitiya, Gamini Kulasekara and Susini Iddamalgoda.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (commonly referred to as Breaking Dawn – Part 2) which will be screened at the Liberty Cinema and at Excel World from November 21 is an upcoming 2012 romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer.

The second part of a two-part film forms the fifth and final instalment in the series, The Twilight Saga. The film is the conclusion of the 2011 film, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. All three main cast members, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, reprise their roles, along with Mackenzie Foy portraying Bella and Edward's child, Renesmee.

After being brought back from near-death by Edward after childbirth, Bella begins her new life as a vampire and mother to their daughter, Renesmee. But when Irina, a member of the Denali Coven, misidentifies Renesmee as an immortal child, a human infant who has been bitten and transformed into a vampire, to the Volturi, they set out to battle and destroy the Cullens for their betrayal.

In a final attempt to survive, the Cullens begin to gather foreign vampire clans and nomads to stand and witness against the Volturi, including the Denali, the Amazonian, the Egyptian, the Irish and Romanian Covens, with European and American nomads. With their allies, the Cullens and the Wolf Pack stand to prove their innocence to the Volturi once and for all.

Mueen Saheed presents Soul Beat

Mueen Saheed presented Soul Beat, his maiden art exhibition in Sri Lanka at the Lionel Wendt, Colombo recently. The chief guest at the event was High Commissioner of Malaysia in Sri Lanka, Azmi Zainuddin.

Mueen Saheed

The guests of honour included well known personalities such as Justice Saleem Marsoof, Hiran Cooray, Gerard Ondaatjie, Nimal Cooke, Chandragupta Thenuwara and Jagath Ravindra.

Mueen showcased a series of art work that focused on figurative and detailed paintings with a mixture of colours and symbolic images. His main piece in the collection ‘soul beat’ was also unveiled on the opening night.

There were over 100 black and white canvases showcased by the artist in the collection, all of which were completed in Sri Lanka within the past three years.

“This is a very special event in my journey as an artist. I have been planning the exhibition for a few years and what you see today reflects an abstract medium of art which is non verbal and expresses feelings, laughter, fragrance, beauty, deep contemplation, moods, thoughts, heartbeats and my inner soul”, said Mueen.

“I have always loved art but never knew where and how to begin as an artist. It was the advice given to me by two expert artists that motivated me to start experimenting and for the past six years painting has made a significant impact on my life”, he said. This was Mueen’s first exhibition in Sri Lanka but he has already showcased his work in Malaysia.

In 2008 he was selected to participate in the Geo Park Art Exhibition in Langkawi organised by the Malaysian Art Gallery, and in 2009 he was part of the Expo Art exhibition held in Malaysia.

Mueen Saheed is well-known as a jewellery designer, both locally and internationally.

Colombo Theatre Festival at the Lionel Wendt

The Colombo Theatre Festival for Young Audiences will be held from December 5–9 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre, at 3.30 pm and 6.45 pm.

The Colombo Theatre Festival for Young Audiences, which for the last six years has brought high-quality theatre to local audiences, returns this December for a five-day run at the Lionel Wendt under the theme ‘Emotional well-being through theatre’.

This year’s festival features popular original plays such as, Vikurthi and Kalumaali, a musical children’s play HimaKumariya and Sinhala translations of popular international plays SandaLangaMaranaya (Blood Wedding) and BernadageSipirigeya (The House of Bernada Alba). The plays artistically explore themes both unique to Sri Lanka as well as more universal themes like love, motherhood, human freedom and gender issues.

The Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF), better known as Play House Kotte, was established in 1981 by veteran dramatist Somalatha Subasinghe with the aim of developing theatre for children and youth, while also promoting other forms of popular theatre in Sri Lanka. During last three decades the group has staged many children’s plays in Sri Lanka and abroad. In January 2007, LCYTF was incorporated by an Act of parliament.

The Colombo Theatre Festival aims at helping talented dramatists to showcase their work to a wider audience. It also gives local audiences a chance to enjoy high-quality and entertaining dramas in the form of translations, adaptations and original plays.

Vikurthi

Written and produced by Somalatha Subhasinge in 1982, Vikurthi is a semi-musical drama that highlights the conflict between the likes and expectations of the younger generation with that of their parents. The play, through the use of satire, explores how this clash places immense pressure on the younger generation. It discusses the consequences of parents trying to achieve social status through their children by forcing them through an extremely competitive education system that ignores the creative talents and passions of youth. It also shows how such situations often lead to psychological complications among youngsters.

Sanda Langa Maranaya (Blood Wedding)

Based on the translation of Spanish playwright Garcia Lorca’s ‘Blood Wedding’, this play is also a semi-musical drama. Sanda Langa Maranaya won eight awards at 2005 National Drama Festival. It is based on love triangle involving two young men and a woman.

The cast includes Kaushalya Fernando, Sampath Jayaweera, Lucian Bulathsinghala, Sulochana Weerasinghe, Mayura Kanchana Perera, Nadee Kammallaweera, Nayomi Gunasiri and Lakmini Senevirathne. The music is composed by NadeekaGuruge. Choreography and light design is by Chandana Aluthge.

Hima Kumariya

Based on the world-famous fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this children’s play has been adapted by Somalatha Subhasinghe and re-created to suit local story-telling traditions in Sri Lanka.

Kalumaali

Kalumaali: a fairy tale for grown-ups is an original script directed by Ruwanthie de Chickera. Kalumaali is based on an extended writing project involving 13 women of the Sinhala and English theatre who wrote about their experiences of motherhood over a period of two years. Based on these writings, Kalumaali brings to light issues and complications faced by middle-class Sri Lankan mothers and fathers trying to raise their children in an ever changing and increasingly demanding modern world.

Woven around the extremely dictatorial matriarch Bernada and her five daughters denied of their freedom to experience life, this play depicts love, passion, freedom, familial love, despair, jealousy and the complexity of human emotion and fate. Lorca’s play discusses lives imprisoned by religion and tradition and critics cite it as a political work that challenged the dictatorial regime in Spain at the time. A stellar all-female cast comprising Kaushalya Fernando, Chandini Senevirathne, Nadee Kammallaweera, Chamila Peiris, Malkanthi Jaysinghe, Duleeka Marapana, Nilmini Buwaneka and Sudarshistar in BernadageSipirigeya.