Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka’s ‘We Remember’ concert on Sunday

Thursday, 12 September 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL) returns to the stage on with a concert dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives and those who live in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings.

It is fitting to note a donation made up of contributions from the musicians and Governors of the SOSL will be made towards providing relief for three families in Negombo who were affected by the tragedy. The concert opens with Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor. Written only a few weeks after the death of his infant daughter, this piece, despite its superficial charm, contains strong undertones of passion and grief.

This will be followed by a piece which in 2004 BBC Today listeners voted “the saddest music ever ” – Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. A dramatic, poignant piece of deep emotion, it forms the backdrop of many films including ‘The Elephant Man,’ and been played at the funerals of Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and at many commemorations of 9/11. The adagio, played with the full complement of violins and strings of the orchestra, captures the deep sadness of our country in the aftermath of Easter Sunday this year.

Relieving the mood thereafter, the orchestra will play Schubert’s Overture to Rosamunde, a popular combination of drama and lightness and two Slavonic Dances by Dvorak, lively Bohemian-themed pieces which exude a much-needed air of optimism and hope and resilience. The concert ends with the meditative beauty and mood of reconciliation of the ‘Nimrod’ variation from Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

Dushyanthi Perera, well known for her interpretative skills conducts the SOSL in this concert. ‘We Remember’ takes place at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on Sunday 15 September. Tickets and box plan are available at the Lionel Wendt Theatre.

‘We Remember’ is sponsored by the Dr. Earle De Fonseka Trust; the Print Media Sponsor is Wijeya Newspapers, Electronic Media Sponsors are Yes FM, TV1 and Legends 96.6 and Creative Partner is Wunderman Thompson.