UNDERSTANDING THE OPERA
“This opera consists of four acts. Although there is no intermission, we plan to give a brief narration at the beginning and between Acts 2 and 3. The audience can review the synopsis in advance, which we have already published on our Facebook page. This will truly help them enjoy the music beyond words. Dive into the music and story, experiencing it beyond words,”explained Pathiraja
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Pruthivi Wijesiri
Sumudu Pathiraja
An Opera is a refined experience. It is a form of power and beauty. It requires perfection and brilliance. Art and music have always been powerful vehicles for exploring human experience. It has a rich legacy. When we think of Opera, we think of the brilliance and the class of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. When we think of Opera, we think of an uncompromising stance when it comes to perfection. When we think of Opera we think of fervor. We think of a love for the stage and a love for hearing the applause of the audience. This is what The First Teacher Opera is all about.
Last week when I stepped into the auditorium at the Russian House, I overheard a conversation involving Librettist Sumudu Pathirajaand a friend. What immediately caught my attention was when someone said- “Music is a universal language!”. An Opera is a wonderful way of exploring human experience, because music is indeed a universal language. These days a unique opera is being put together. This opera is based on the novel “The First Teacher” by Chinghiz Aitmatov. But first of all, what is the First Teacher?
In “The First Teacher”, Duishen, a young communist takes on the responsibility of educating the children from poor families in his community, and he became the original, “The First Teacher” in their lives. The story is about sacrifice and love. It is about ideology and change. It is about virtue and determination. Just think how powerful this story would be if it was brought to the stage? This is exactly why the Pathiraja House of Opera in partnership with the Russian House Colombo is ready to bring this story to life in the form of an Opera on the 11th of October at the Elphinstone theatre.
Composer and Conductor Pruthivi Wijesiri, called it a landmark production being put together with an incredible team of artistes. “We have all poured our heart and soul into this. The “First Teacher Opera” is not just an Opera, it is a narrative that weaves themes of hope, spirit and resilience. It tells a story of a teacher’s profound impact on the lives of students in a rural village in the country of Russia.”
Truly is this not the exploration of human experience? When we watch this Opera, we as humans can relate to these themes. Because we are humans. The story takes place in Russia. The Opera takes place in Sri Lanka. But this is our shared humanity. Some of us may even have encountered such a character like Duishen in our lives. When we watch this Opera, we look inwardly. We examine our hearts. We explore our feelings. We relate to what we are seeing before us on stage. “It draws inspiration from the universal values that resonate with the audience. We are proud to present the first ever Opera, to be composed in Russian for a Sri Lankan production. The production is brought to you by the Pathiraja House of Opera founded in 2022 by Sumudu Pathiraja. He has been a great inspiration to us all. It has been a long journey for all of us, but a rewarding one. A lot of hard work has been put into this performance,” explained Wijesiri.
Librettist, Sumudu Pathiraja added that this has been a great opportunity for so many people who wish to display their talents. His collaboration with Wijesiri is the magic behind the production. Both men have a passion for opera and are on the same wavelength. Step by step they have planned out the opera in great detail. A lot of detail and attention has been given to the beginning and the end. Pathiraja the Librettist and Wijesiri the composer and conductor, are working closely with each other along with their committed and passionate artistes to deliver a fabulous performance that will surely go down as one of the great enterprises in Sri Lanka.
“Seeing the tickets being sold is something important to us because of financial reasons and also because in our hearts we believe that this is something of value that our audiences will enjoy. It is a beautiful story that will be really spectacular on stage in the form of an opera. So I would like to tell everyone to come and watch and be entertained. The Opera begins at 7pm, so let us make this a magical night!On that evening there will be a live orchestra, making this an unforgettable evening. It’s already prepared to be sung in both Russian and Sinhala. However, on the 11th, we will perform in Russian only. The translation and preparation in English is currently ongoing,” he said.
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HOW TO BOOK YOUR TICKETS You can book your tickets by calling 0714237028. Or you can book your tickets pathirajaopera.wixsite.comor go to Facebook –FACEBOOK.COM/FIRST.TEACHER.OPERA
Ishara Jayawardane