After the intermission, Brahms jump-started into every heart with his open score Allegro con brio in B Major Op. 8, Leaving behind the more popular Beethoven and Schubert to trail behind, followed by Scherzo - Allegro-molto and Adagio that brought down the roof by a buoyant response at the Lionel Wendt Memorial Theatre as the curtain fell on the players.
A CLASSICAL TRIO, presented by Sunetra Foundation to fund-raise a worthy cause touched all our hearts, headed by Sunetra Bandaranayaka who must be commended for her dynamic dedication to reach the helpless. In the process, Sunetra also helps promote and nurture something very close to my heart; the arts: mainly performing and visual arts. Clearly, she is focused on fine arts and we are here for one such event made possible by her.
Into the jam-packed auditorium, lovers of classical music thronged most faces I have seen over and over again which reveal their everlasting bond to classical music. Some come to witness and hear their favourite composers being played but tonight, one thing was sure that the crowds came to watch Rohan de Sarem on the cello when mystique came alive the moment he started caressing the strings.
These three wonderful artists Rohan de Sarem, Rohan de Silva and Mandhira de Sarem whose wizardry on their chosen instruments played differently. Each in his/her own world on strings and keyboard and combined as and when each score made it necessary. Otherwise, they drifted apart with no indication of passion for each other. Drops of brilliance, iconic playing brought together in youth and experience. Of course, Rohan de Sarem led from the front with his immaculate playing the world has come to known. He is by far and wide the living legend on cello, recognized, honoured and beloved whenever or wherever he played. If I mention him to be the most spectacular performing artist that Sri Lanka has produced during our lifetime followed by pianist Malini Jayasinghe-Pieris, many will agree.
If their body language failed to respond to each other, the piano should have been placed a bit further away because of most of Rohan de Silva's powerful playing overlapped the gentle, soft melodious strings. Yet, Mandira was seen punishing the strings with gusto and force while Rohan de Sarem remained the genius he is letting the cello speak for him.
This distinguished cellist wining all international awards one can hope for has come a long way to establish his genius in our hearts and souls. Between the three, the attractive lyricism and the gift of retaining their own distinctive music mannerism made them the most formidable for Lankan audiences to relish upon. Seldom seen such graceful, high-class talent assembled on our stage in recent times.
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