Sri Lankan musicians in Vietnam | Sunday Observer

Sri Lankan musicians in Vietnam

1 July, 2018

Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of Independence of Sri Lanka and 48 years of Diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Embassy organized a Classical Music Concert at the Vietnam National Academy of Music on the evening of June 23 2018 (Saturday). The concert was an enormous success. The hall was full, and the applause long and appreciative. The concert was the brainchild of Hasanthi Dissanayake, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Vietnam, one of Sri Lanka’s most dynamic career diplomats.

The concert brought together world-renowned Sri Lankan and Vietnamese musicians and music from both countries depicting the highest levels of professionalism. It is the first time that Sri Lankan and Vietnamese classical musicians performed together on one stage.

The Sri Lankan musicians included Rohan de Silva, Concert Pianist, Tharanga Goonetilleke, Soprano Opera Singer and Maestro Dr. Lalanath de Silva, Composer and Conductor. This is the first time that the three Sri Lankan musicians performed in Vietnam.

On the Vietnamese side, the artists who participated were Nguyen Tuan Anh and Nguyen Anh Vu, Tenors and the Sun Symphony Orchestra (SSO). The SSO, is a newly formed professional orchestra and comprises not only Vietnamese, but also several eminent foreign musicians from 23 countries. Its Music Director and Principal Conductor Maestro Olivier Ochanine shared the stage with maestro Dr. Lalanath de Silva.

The evening’s programme consisted of Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto, several arias and a duet from well known operas including one by Sri Lankan composer Premasiri Khemadasa and a new overture by Maestro Dr. Lalanath de Silva and Mozart’s overture to his opera, the Magic Flute.

The concert opened with the National Anthems of the two countries. Sri Lanka’s anthem was arranged by Neranjan de Silva and re-orchestrated by Lalanath de Silva. This majestic opening was followed by the new Overture “The Dancers” by Lalanath de Silva conducted by the composer himself. The Overture captures Sri Lankan dance rhythms and interactions between a male and a female dancer. The work used a full Orchestra and was well received by the audience and the orchestra.

Tharanga Goonetilleke’s rendition of arias by Puccini and Lehar were met with rapturous applause. Her interpretation of Premasiri Khemadasa’s aria “Shreya” from his opera Agni was presented with great skill and professionalism. Khemadasa is the only Sri Lankan composer to have written operas. The aria was provided an enhanced orchestration by Lalanath de Silva and transcribed by Darrel Large and performed with the kind permission of his daughters.

This was followed by a Vietnamese song - the song of Hanoi – written during the Vietnam War by Vu Thanh and orchestrated by Maestro de Silva. Tharanga and Nguyen Anh Vu ended the first half of the programme with a love duet from Puccini’s opera La Boheme and were recalled to the stage by the audience, several times.

The second half of the programme opened with Mozart’s overture to his opera, the Magic Flute conducted by the Sun Symphony’s Principal Conductor Maestro Ochanine. The programme ended with Rohan de Silva playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Accompanied by the orchestra, Rohan delivered the concerto with such skill and musicianship, that it brought the audience to its feet and he was recalled to the stage many times.

This gala event was made possible by the collaboration of the Sun Symphony Orchestra and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam. The Sri Lankan musicians performed on a gratis basis. They did Sri Lanka very proud.

 

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