Music is the unifying force among the Sri Lankan communities anywhere in the world and this was clearly evident at The Vocal musical presentation held in Mississauga last Saturday.
The livewire of the show was Neville Ratnasiri who worked very hard from the beginning of this year to make it a success and his enthusiasm was quite evident on the stage.
Talented singers Rohana Dissanayake, Saman Dissanayke and Ayesha Chandraratne (I always wonder why she did not choose singing as her main career) got together with Neville to take us down Memory Lane. It was heartening to note the passionate commitment by the millennials to follow in the footsteps of their parents to do their part to continue Sinhala music heritage.
The show began with a tribute to motherhood and then extended its scope with a tribute to Father sung by Rohana Dissnayake’s son Malinda. A special feature of the whole show was the rare chance of listening to some of Sinhala golden hits that shaped the glorious past of Sri Lankan music.
The band was composed of talented musicians who pursue music as a pastime and appear on stage very often backing up even professional singers who fly from Sri Lanka. They are Mahesh Sirisena, Chandana Basnayake, Fayas Shavahir, Prabath Jayatilleke, Kavinda Weerasekera, Indika Vittanachchi, Rolinson Ferdinando and Akila Kushan. Rolinson who played for iconic Sri Lankan calypso band La Bambas was the veteran among them.
In a special segment, Madol Doowa actor Ajith Jinadasa paid a tribute to Patrick Denipitiya, one of our pioneering musicians of the 60s and 70s, who added an exotic touch to Sinhala music with his lilting Hawaiian guitar. His son Mahesh who has become a prominent musician in the modern music scene in Sri Lanka came in for special praise. A token was presented to Patrick’s wife and daughter as a posthumous honour to the great musician who passed away in Canada a few years ago.
Neville sang old hits of Sisira Senaratne, H.R. Jothipala, and Narada Dissaskera’s ever popular Pushpa Makarandaya Mage (partnered by Shiranthi De Silva) while Saman Dissanayake, with a voice akin to a Walpola son, sang mostly hits from Dhamadasa Walpola’s terrific repertoire. Rohana Dissanayake, blessed with a voice and range suitable for the classical genre, sang popular melodies of Amaradeva.
The highlight of the evening was Indian singer Mohau Parial who belted out some evergreen Bollywood hits from movies like Sangam, Abhiman, Kashmir Ki Kali, Milan and mega hit Uhire Uhire from Bombay. Saman, Neville and Rohana partnered her in duets.
A large number of talented amateur singers in Toronto and Greater Toronto areas who are well known for their passion for music too shared the stage. They included Anurakumara Munasinghe, Ravi de Silva, Palitha Hegoda, Pusathi Wijesekera, Shyama Jeyaraj, Anoma Mahrage and several others.
Catchy Sulang Kurullo from Haroon Lanthra’s repertoire brought to life by Anurakumara and Ayesha seemed to be one of the most popular numbers of the evening judging by the audience reaction with some even singing along with the duo.
Compere Sunimal Balasuriya was in his element as usual, introducing the songs with details about original singers and music directors accompanied by interesting titbits about the compositions.
There was a notable absence of baila except for some toe-tapping 60s and 70s pops sung by all-girl ensemble Toronto Sisters.
The Vocal was a rare treat refreshingly different from the musical performances presented by singers who fly here from Sri Lanka to entertain us with their original creations. Saturday’s presentation made us remember with fondness the great artistes who have departed leaving us a huge musical legacy. They will always remain part of our unique heritage and we salute The Vocal group for entertaining us with a greater variety of music. www.newstrails.com
