 |
 . |
Sonia Wickremasinghe to stage solo performance
In love with music...by Namini Wijedasa
Her eyes literally sparkle when she speaks of music; her fingers fly nimbly and surely... almost instinctively... over the piano keys as she demonstrates for a photo-shoot. Her face assumes a truly wistful expresion when she reminisces about her days in Russia, studying the works of great classical artistes. Sonia Wickremasinghe plainly loves music.The Gnesin Moscow Academy of Music is one of the best schools of music in Russia, second only to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Not so long ago, Sonia was one of the many students walking up the street leading to this academy, hurrying for her lessons or for a practice session before lectures in theory.
Seated last week in the tastefully decorated sitting room of her Borella residence, she remembered the many trips she made up that street. As she draws closer to the campus, she said, she would hear the sounds of "all the musical instruments in the world" emanating from the open windows of the academy - and would revel in the heavenly sensation it gave her. And once within its walls she, like its other students, would forget the problems of a Russia in peril and lose herself in the glory of music. Today, after six years at the academy marked with intensive study and practice, she is ready for a solo piano performance in Sri Lanka - a performance which promises to be as exhilarating as the ones already behind her. With a Russian mother and a father of mixed Sri Lankan and English parentage, she is as mysterious as the classical artistes and composers she pays homage to.
Sonia was not always this 'music mad', so as to speak. Sure enough, she had an ear for music that many others in Sri Lanka can even today confess to. She started piano lessons at the age of six while still a student of Ladies College. Her periodic classes with Seetha Hallock continued into her A/Level years at the Colombo International School, but there was little of that passionate love for the piano that is characteristic of her today.
The turning point came after her A/Levels. She finished the examination at eighteen and decided, like many others her age, to take a year off before pursuing further academic study. That year was to be spent in Russia, dabbling in music at the Gnesin Moscow Academy of Music.
The year stretched into two years. Sonia wrote to the University of Bristol in England - which had already accepted her application for further study in economics - asking them to postpone her entry for a year. They complied.
But two years became three... and Sonia still had no wish to leave her studies in music behind. "It was then that I decided music was my thing, " she smiled, "I didn't want to go back to economics!" The Gnesin Academy had her hooked!
During that first year at the Academy, Sonia discovered that the Russian students around her were far better than she was at music. She had never taken it "so seriously". "Those students lived on music, day and night, and I started looking at music from a different angle", she remembered.
Music was done with professionalism at the academy. It had been opened by the four Gnesin sisters and their brother who had been students of the famous musician and teacher, Negaus, and the standards were high. Sonia was deeply affected by this professionalism and the stirring manner in which her teachers imparted knowledge. She was especially struck by an octogenarian by the name of Alekseev. A man with white hair and a beard who appeared to have stepped out of the pages of a Russian storybook, he taught music as if it were alive.
She was dogged by a desire to become as good as the other students: "Although I knew I could never become as good because these students had been studying music at specialised schools since childhood". She confessed to having felt a 'huge gap' between herself and the other students.
Sonia practised almost eight hours a day, both at her grandmother's house where she now stayed and at the grand pianos that were available in plenty at the academy (two instruments in each of the 260 classrooms!). Theory was also a big part of her lectures. Among her subjects were polyphony, solfeggio, harmony, composition, history of music, history of piano performance, problems of interpretation, philosophy, sociology, psychology and pedagogy.
The last subject - pedagogy - was particularly interesting. Each student was assigned another student of about five years of age and was given charge of his or her instruction in music. "We conducted classes for our students twice a week and our own tutors tested us on how well we had taught them," Sonia explained. The entire exercise was aimed at training the students of Gnesin Academy how to instruct and grade their own students.
After some period of study, Sonia became well-versed with the classical musicians: Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Schubert... And while admiring the work done by all of them, she confessed to appreciating Mozart more deeply than she did others. "When someone says 'classical music', I immediately think of Mozart," she said. She also told a little 'joke' about Mozart that was a favourite among those who knew music: Bach, they say, is the 'father of music'. And when one speaks of Beethoven, one speaks of him as being the 'father of the piano forte'. But when you ask a musician what he thinks of Mozart, he would say he is simply a genius!
Armed with a headful of knowledge and fingers full of music, Sonia earned her masters degree in music from the Academy this year. She qualified as a solo pianist and was well versed in chamber accompaniment and 'accompanying the voice'.
While in Russia, she benefited in other ways. Having started her sojourn there during the communist era, she was able to afford the tickets to almost every concert, play, opera or ballet in town - and she attended almost all of them. As times changed and Russia's financial turmoil became evident, tickets became more 'pricey'. "So I would carefully choose my events but I would still go," she said, "These experiences left me a more richer person where music and culture were concerned and I cherished my outings tremendously".
Her most memorable experience, she says, was the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition which was held in May. (It is held only once in four years). Sonia attended all rounds of this competition, spanning a period of three weeks. "I would listen to eight hours of violin, cello, voice and piano a day! It was heavenly," she enthused.
Back in Sri Lanka, Sonia has much on the cards. She is at present practising for her November solo concert which will take place at the Russian Cultural Centre on November 10 and 12. She has a concert planned for January or February while she has scheduled one for May as well. Meanwhile, she confessed to playing with the idea of teaching music, although it is not within her immediate plan.
At 24 years of age, Sonia has achieved her goal. She was once congratulated by the renowned Prof. Gordon for 'The Russian Spirit' that could be felt in her rendering of Tchaikovsky's April and May seasons of the year. With her mind set on furthering the cause of classical music, there is no stopping that Russian Spirit from enchanting Sri Lanka... and maybe the world.
A Frame in Time
What a miss!by W. Wilfred Lasz
Johnny Bergman bristled with life. A party man to the core, he was the life and soul of any party, invited or uninvited, gate - crashing with aplomb that even the hosts didn’t mind for he had it in him to rev up a party's pitch to high gear. His one philosophy was — wine, women and song. His other virtues being the booze and horse racing.Bergman who was then a lino operator at the now defunct Times, was bereft of consideration for others and eventually for his own flesh and blood. The term ‘moral scruples' was not his dictionary, but the man himself was enjoyable company. That is ,if you knew his proven track record.
One day he sidled up to me in our department and proudly acclaimed " I am marrying one of you wife’s people." I almost fell off the chair. I had hardly spoken to the man even though Ihad been nearly two years at the Times having assiduously avoided him from the stories doing the rounds about him.
My knee jerk reaction was to pity the poor girl who was to marry this harum - scarum character. But I kept my cool for he was also a loud-mouthed oaf. So I congratulated the fellow in measured words as I did not wish to be too familiar with the guy.
True to his word, the girl’s mother, an aunt to my wife, called us up to check on Johnny Bergman’s character bio data. Well it was tricky situation with great potential for unforeseen risks. I demurred that he was not much known to me and that he worked in another section of the newspaper.
But the poor woman was so effusive of her intended son-in - law’s great character traits that she just brushed off my tacit defence. All I could do was to mutter ‘That’s great news. I wish your words come true and wish the couple well.’
First marriage
Unfortunately my wife’s aunt had not heard about Johnny Bergman’s first marriage. It was, in fact, a non- event.Johnny Bergman was a Kotahena lad. He had contracted a marriage to a fair lassie, in the environs. After the ritual courtship and formal exchange of rings, the wedding day was set for a fine morning at St. Lucia’s Cathedral at Kotahena. The wedding cards had been whisked off, colleagues invited, the honeymoon nest secured.
A Times photographer was to be at hand. So were some higher- ups who were to be the attesting witnesses. Johnny Bergman, however, had not reckoned with his intended father- in - law’s mind - set. On the eve of his wedding he had got drunk and got into a trenchant argument with his f-i-l.
Next morning, Johnny Bergman could not recollect the shindig he had had with his prospective wife’s father. Well spruced in his wedding suit, sleek hair, pomade and all, he set out to church with his bestman in tow.
At the church, the band struck on seeing the groom’s car arrive. The air was festive and full of expectancy. Friends and relatives in colourful gear had occupied the seats. His office colleagues huddled together in a corner of the Cathedral. Johnny Bergman, strode down the aisle to the nave of the church with head held high and the bestman bringing up the rear.
The minutes ticked away. All necks straining in the direction of the entrance the moment a car arrived. They were anxiously awaiting the bride’s arrival. The first few fleeting minutes flew. Fifteen minutes later the guests were beginning to get impatient. Minutes turned to half an hour, then an hour and still another half hour. Someone sped to the bride’s house. An irate old man shouted at the visitor. " Do you think I am going to give my daughter to that good-for- nothing loafer."
Soon the word spread, and Johnny Bergman flushed and hot under the collar, once more walked down the aisle sans the bride. Perhaps, it was the first time in Sri Lanka’s history such an embarrassing situation ever happened. The invitees were flabbergasted beyond words as they exited a gloomy and ghostly church. And all that Johnny Bergman could do was to make an entry at the police station.
The missing tumblers and cups and saucers
There were many more incidents involving this character. But what I remember most is one Christman party, where Johnny Bergman thrilled us no end with his repertoire of songs and dances.In the days prior to Christmas, our canteen mudalali was complaining that his tumblers, cups and saucers were getting lost frequently. And then came Christmas.
A Christmas party was thrown by one of Johnny’s own department colleagues, a senior operator, residing at Maligawatte. It was an all - night session with liquor cascading and rich spread of savoury dishes circulating with a sumptuous dinner, only to be continued till daybreak – and perhaps, after.
A day or two after Christmas, we resumed work. And the senior operator who threw the Christmas party was confronted by the canteen mudalali." I have information that some of my missing tumblers and cups were seen in your house."
A rousing argument ensued. The senior operator was a man of means and was cut to the quick by the accusation. The encounter nearly ended in fisticuffs, with the senior operator vehemently denying the charge and bitterly hurt.
Later it transpired through a third party, that the canteen mudalali had confided in him that it was Johnny Bergman who had given that information, which was totally false.
That was the sort of thing Johnny Bergman was capable of.
But I shouldn't leave the story hanging at that. I had the mortification one day when his wife and mother-in-law walked into the Times cradling two children . They wanted to see Reggie Michael, the editor. It was a complaint against Johnny Bergman. He had been neglecting the family for quite some time.
Though the lino-type department did not come under his purview, Reggie's standing in the context of the newspaper was extensive. He called for Johnny and admonished him. But all to no avail.
Needless to say his second marriage, too, went on the rocks — this time the wife having to fend for two little ones.
| NEWS | PROVINCIAL | POLITICS | EDITORIAL | DEFENCE | FEATURES | SPORTS | BUSINESS | ADS |
