Musical phenomenon, the De Lanerolle Brothers

Deviating from the beaten track of post-modernist ideas, in this week’s column, we examine the musical phenomenon of the De Lanerolle Brothers and how Rohan and Ishan De Lanerolle have carved out a pivotal niche in the contemporary Sri Lankan music scene, reviving the interest , particularly, in the golden oldies with its rich music legacy.

Although based in Sri Lanka, Rohan and Ishan have already established themselves as much-sought –after performers in international music arenas such as The Weill Recital hall, Carnegie Hall; The Asia Society – New York, The Altadena Open Air Theatre – Los Angeles, The Shady grove concert Hall – Washington DC, St Paul’s Church – Chicago, St John’s Smith Square, The Sheldonian Theatre, The Adrian Boult Hall, The Solihull Arts Complex – UK, The Kamani Auditorium – India, The Bentley Music Auditorium – Malaysia and The “Princess Diana Room” of The Castle of the Angers – Germany.

Interestingly they are known as ‘The Pear of the Indian Ocean’ among many fans. Apart from many foreign tours, they constantly visit Australia, Singapore and Maldives. One of the prominent feature of the duo is their willingness to collaborate with a gamut of masters in the field and diverse orchestras. Among such fruitful collaborations are performing with pianists Rohan De Silva - USA, Dr Jonathan Clarke – UK, Michael Nikolov and Bant Pushmann – Austria and Dhilanthi Fernando – USA and Orchestras such as The Sidcup Symphony and The Christ Church Festival Orchestras - UK, The Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra’s of Sri Lanka.

Brothers in music

The Lanerolle brothers came into being in 2009 and the duo held their first concert in March 2010 at the Waters Edge. A significant feature of the De Lanerolle Brothers’ concert is their innovative approach to concert culture in Sri Lanka. For instance, the duo has been able to bring a theatrical element into Dinner show with a virtual package, creating an ambiance for a complete entertainment.

What is important to note is that they have created a niche market within the Sri Lankan music scene for a quality entertainment which is backed up by a group of sponsors who appreciate high quality popular culture and an increasing number of fans. Since the Lanerolle brothers’ concerts are of international standards, they are being attended by a cosmopolitan audience in general and youngsters in particular. It is noteworthy that the duo, by attracting the youngsters and teenagers to their concert, has virtually created a novel culture in the contemporary Sri Lankan music scene. One of the important aspects of such a vibrant music culture is that it has contributed to uplift the public taste particularly in the segments of the population that appreciate occidental music and constitute a major share of concert-goers.

Diverse repertoire

The De Lanerolle Brothers stand for their rich and ever-changing repertoire of songs. The diverse repertoire ranging from Classical, Sacred and even Pop enable them to share the stage with “Aaron Neville Branford Marsalis” in New Orleans, Four-time Grammy Winner “Olivia Newton John’s” Sri Lanka Concerts as part of her Asia Tour 2012 and also at The “Platters Concert” featuring the Legendary “Monroe Powell”.

Their repertoire is so broad as to include Operetta to Opera, Broadway to Ballads capturing the styles of Il Divo to the Tenors and the all time favourites from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s.

For instance, their signature sell-out March 3 Anniversary Concert is made up of the Pop Songs of the 60-80s period. The March concert will follow a series of concerts with a mid-year Classical / Light Classical / Broadway Concert collaborating with an internationally acclaimed Pianist or Singer from overseas and conclude with their own Christmas Concert. Apart from marking Sri Lanka on the international music arena, the duo has successfully marketed their bran of Ceylon Tea which is served at the Banquet Luncheon of the “Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth for the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations”, 2012.

The Oldies which constitute the bulk of the De Lanerolle Brothers repertoire marked a watershed in the evolution of popular music in the West. A significant aspect of the Oldies is that they are still immensely popular and appreciated by all segments of the population. The duo’s innovative approach to the oldies is not to sing them as solos as they were originally sung by masters but to sing them in harmony which is, indeed, a rare feat.

The term golden oldies refers to music exclusively from the 1950s and 1960s and dominant artistes of that era in the genre includes artists such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, The Four Seasons, and Sam Cooke and musical movements and genres such as as doo-wop, rockabilly, rock n roll, early rock music, Motown, British Invasion and early girl groups, surf music, teen idol singers, teenage tragedy songs, and bubblegum pop.

Some of the artistes, whose songs are included in the rich repertoire of the De Lanerolle Brothers, are Engelbert, Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Sir Cliff Richard, Glen Campbell, Everly brothers, Righteous brothers, Bee Gees, Roger Whitacker, Frank Sinatra, Tony Christie and Lionel Ritchie.

Apart from the rich repertoire, the De Lanerolle Brothers stand out for their wider tonal range and perfect harmony in performance. Perhaps, the most noteworthy contribution of the Lanerolle Brothers is to introduceto the contemporary Sri Lankan music scene the rich European concert culture such as West End and Broadway in the domain of popular culture.