From Mendelssohn minor to Ursa Major
By A.S.H. Smyth (Sunday Times, 06 December 2009)
In celebration of several nice-round-number anniversaries and backed by the sponsorship of the German Embassy, the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, under the direction of Lakshman Joseph de Saram, brought its 2009 season to a close with an evening of musical champagne (or whatever the EUSSR makes them call the bubbly in Berlin).

After a riskily majestic ‘Andante maestoso’ preamble, Haydn’s ‘Overture’ to the seragliopera L’incontro improvviso burst loose in the ‘Presto’ (cue little faux-Oriental percussion touches) in a tangible explosion of pent-up energy. The urgent drive towards the cadences was gripping, and the repetitive sections – for such there will always be in Haydn – persistently, insistently fresh.

There was at once a fuller, darker texture to Mendelssohn’s early String Symphony No.3 in E minor (i.e. the cellos actually had a musical line, not just a series of bass notes): if you weren’t already sitting comfortably then this definitely wasn’t your chance. The ten-minute melodic and harmonic work-out had fire not just in its belly, but in its maw as well. The ‘Andante’ second movement was more gentle, a classical Classical theme more vapour trails than entrails. But the closing ‘Allegro’ turned the entrails into extrails, as fingers trilled vigorously and bows jagged across the strings. What with the tutti chordal steps and the embellished counterpoint, it seemed altogether more like a Händel overture…

This was a string-dominated programme, and, to my shame, somewhere amid the excerpts from Händel’s Hercules, I fleetingly wondered if five cellos (and two basses) was/were too many. But Händel bass-lines are where half the fun is at, and it was appropriately Herculean to see seven violinists obliged to do the work of 20 (Hercules may have done all his chores on time, but that doesn’t make him some flute-playing mummy’s boy).

The dainty concertante moments in the ‘Menuetto’ – on cello, violin, viola, flute and oboe – offered a brief variation of palette, before all hell broke loose in the hair-raising ‘Sinfonia’. With its mournful theme strained and splayed almost to breaking point and interspersed with outbursts of frantic rage (courtesy Mrs Hercules), the CMSC’s performance was a masterwork of coordination and inherent musicianship.
Nobody was going to sneak out during this interval. Always leave them wanting more, they say…

And then give them some, say I. The opening chords of the ‘Overture’ to Agrippina were so violent they actually elicited an echo from the Wendt (perhaps surprisingly, the venue really seemed to embrace the sound: it was like a proper C.18th salon gig, but with air-con!). The orchestra, wreaking the kind of emotional havoc that befits Händel’s heroine – sister of Caligula, niece (and wife) of Claudius, mother of Nero – stormed from one extreme to the other, and by the time they reached the oboist’s plaintive Orphean line, the audience was pin-drop silent, my heart was thumping and the violinists were blinking sweat out of their eyes. De Saram mopped his brow amid profound applause.

The nicknames of Haydn symphonies (the ‘Drum Roll’, most famously) are usually pretty tenuous, and often have no recorded authorial veracity, so during Haydn’s Symphony No.82 in C Major (‘L’ours’ or ‘The Bear’) I amused myself considering potential origins for the movements and thinking up headline-friendly puns (though I could bearly come up with any, which gave me paws: I didn’t want to panda to anyone, or end up making a complete urse of myself).

‘The Bear’ itself, though, was suitably boisterous. The ‘Menuet’ gave the impression that he was touring with a miserable provincial circus (the fault is Haydn’s; but did you know they train them to ‘dance’ by setting the cubs on hot coals?); the weighty bass uprisings depicted him, I hoped, sundering his chains and eating the circus master; and in the vivace ‘Finale’ – a summery peasant dance with a Slavic drone and cartoonish cameos from the village band – the horsehair flew (bear fur is illegal) – and what remained attached to the bow waged merry war against the stomach of the cat and the thunder of the cowskin.

I can recall one instance when the cellos rushed slightly, a couple of rudderless moments when the second violins and violas were left to their own, and by the ‘Finale’ the bassoon was sadly out of tune (giving our poor bear chronic indigestion). But, in vindication of the CMSC’s conductor-less policy, there was never a hint of hesitation, and the tenutos and other refined musical ephemera were symptomatic not only of the highest quality leadership – and followership, come to that – but of a rare level of discipline and cohesion.

Demonstration of brilliance in chamber music

 by Ranga CHANDRARATHNE (Sunday Observer, 06 December 2009)

The ensemble of the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, in a performance exclusively sponsored by the German Embassy, presented the Bicentennial Concert 2009. This time, the warm and clear acoustic of the Lionel Wendt Theatre was the chosen venue. The concert was the Society’s second 200/250-year birth and death commemoration of the three great German-speaking composers, namely, Georg Fredrick Handel, Franz Joseph Haydn and Felix Mendelssohn.

It was nothing short of an outstanding success for all involved. The ensemble, led by its passionate artistic Director/Concertmaster, Lakshman Joseph de Saram, began the concert with a controlled bang, the first chord to G. F. Haydn’s overture to his opera ‘incontro improvviso’. The French-style Adagio-meastoso that followed set the stage perfectly. Then quite surprisingly, Haydn launched into a Presto, a wild sounding ‘Turkish’ street band with clanging cymbals and loud drums, very much in the manner of Mozart’s ‘Abduction of the Seraglio’ overture. A charming slow movement with solo violoncello followed before the briefest reprise of the Presto. The playing was mostly committed with few mishaps in intonation in all departments. The overture is scored for pairs of oboe, horns, trumpets, timpani and cymbals, with the usual compliment of strings.

The Society’s Mendelssohn offering was his third string symphony in e minor. A repeat performance from their sold out Goethe Institute ‘Tribute to the Masters’ concert earlier in the year. Joseph de Saram’s artistic direction gave Mendelssohn’s youthfully naive work a very sumptuous and sophisticated air.

Although carefully primed and admirably played, it was interesting to note how the true and less forgiving acoustic of the Lionel Wendt highlighted in the most irritating way, the discrepancies in intonation in the ensemble, discrepancies that were certainly not this apparent in the much smaller but richly reverberant hall of the Goethe Institute.

The first seven of the set of 12 symphonies were all composed in Hamburg in 1821. It is hard to imagine that Mendelssohn was only 12 years old at the time of their composition.

Handel’s incidental music to his music drama ‘Hercules’ was next on the program. The work was composed in 1744 to a libretto by the Rev. Thomas Broughton after Sophocles and Ovid, and premiered at the King’s Theatre in London in 1745. Outstanding and revelatory was the ‘Sinfonia’ to Act III. To quote from the well-written program notes, the music was ‘brooding with outrageous bursts of agitated hysterics’, Joseph de Saram’s condescending musical arrogance at times leads him to a tendency to over interpret, but in this instance, he was inspired, a most illuminating outing where Handel and the audience were the ultimate beneficiaries.

Bookending the intermission, Handel’s overture to his opera ‘Agrippina’ began the second half. Truly visceral playing, breathtaking speed and shocking pauses with slashing strings and melancholic oboe portrayed a vivid Roman empire full of bloodletting, lust and remorse. It was indeed an eye-opener on how potent and electrifying an orchestral string section can actually sound when given the green light and right direction.

The concertmaster’s playing stood out with its searing white heat intensity, it was clear that he was undeniably ‘moved and involved’, both physically and psychologically by the unfolding story line and creative process.

The likes we have not witnessed in the local eastern and western classical music world, which almost always goes to great lengths to be modest and pleasantly sedated, no matter what the musical context is. On the other hand, this performance was a blowtorch to the senses.

We can only imagine with wonder, what the total effect could have been if more of the players contributed as much effort to the score. Closing out the concert was Hayden’s great Symphony number 82 in C major, nicknamed the ‘Bear’. It is scored for flute, pairs of oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets, timpani, and strings. Overall, although very dynamic, we thought the symphony’s forward momentum to be too relentless, no respite even in the more relaxed ‘middle’ movements. The charms of Beecham’s legendary Haydn recordings were obviously not on the artistic directors mind when he approached this symphony this time. The Andante was neatly played, but at a tempo that was much faster and driven than anyone is typically used to. Even faster that the most ‘authentic’ of period performances.

Strings dominated the balance throughout. It was a pity that the brass and woodwind were overly cautious. We would have preferred a brighter more present sound from them. Also, as noted in previous reviews of the ensemble, the double bass section was much more visible than audible. On the plus side, there were bold and defined rolls and strokes from the timpanist in the last movement’s roaring climaxes. A richly deserved encore was called for, and the ensemble repeated the last page of the symphony. A gimmicky but very exciting dramatic ‘pause’ between the last two chords, presumably to show off the obvious discipline and whiplash precision of the ensemble, left the audience laughing and exhilarated. An un-common standing ovation followed from the sold out auditorium.

As expected, the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, with its well defined long range plans and professional international management team and advisors, appears to be gradually formulating a pragmatic strategy, that will eventually lead to the direction that western classical and new ‘serious’ music will take, in the next stage of development in the arts of a unified Sri Lanka. The Society’s professional attitude, progressive agenda and well-buffed end product can only help in improving the overall standards.

Although the Society is primarily aimed at the upper echelon of the intelligentsia, and chamber music, both old and new, by its very nature, the guarded realm of a privileged minority, we are pleased to notice the Society taking a more egalitarian approach in its door policy and availability of tickets. And as the German ambassador stated in his opening remarks before the concert, we are all very happy at the thought that the Society is planning on sharing their art in the very near future with our brothers and sisters in the north and east. A gesture, which will be greatly appreciated in this hour of reconciliation and sensitiveness.

December 7th, 2009 | Reviews and Media | No comments

Excerpts

RC: I am talking to Lakshman Joseph de Saram, a professional musician who is enjoying a growing reputation in the south Asian film industry as an award winning composer, and more recently, as the Artistic director and Concertmaster of one of Sri Lanka’s most dynamic state backed specialized arts organizations. I would first like to ask you on your association with the Chamber Music Society of Colombo.

It has been about a year and a half since the CMSC made its official debut at Temple Trees for President Mahinda Rajapaksa, where does the Society stand today?

LJDS: First, we have to thank the late Maestro Premasiri Khemadasa for making that auspicious debut possible. Around the world, it is an undeniable honour and privilege to perform for the leader of your country, and we are grateful to have had that opportunity. Dr. Khemadasa was one of our most ardent supporters, and drove me hard to get the Society off the ground. He was totally committed to bringing about a sense of professionalism, accountability and credibility into serious music in our country.

How are we doing now? The Society is developing in an organic manner, very much like we planned. We have achieved our set financial targets for our initial stage comfortably, thanks to our generous endowment benefactors and concert sponsors. The next stage is core-capital funding, and we have a formidable board looking after that. Our all-important artistic product is undergoing constant evaluation and work. Encouragingly, from our merciless in-house critics, to the press and the audience, they have all acknowledged, at the very least, the winning combination of scholarship and joie de vivre that make our performances distinct. It is a wonderful base on which to grow.

RC: When you say your concerts have scholarship and joie de vivre, what do you mean by that?

LJDS: Well, what I mean is that those two components are vital for lift-off, for any performance really. The music is well researched beforehand, naturally. The choice of repertoire, we make sure we have the resources to execute the basic requirements of the composer. Such as instrument configuration and depth, then we take it a step further and look at player experience and the composition of a section, such as the leadership qualities, intuitive musical sense and the tonal palette of a front desk artist. These are critical elements, and I have been taught to be the bedrock of any professional ensemble. Once you have a reasonably tight team in place, you are now in a position to make a credible attempt at a great work of art.

As Artistic Director, I am largely responsible for the over-all slant the Society takes season to season, such as programming and personnel, and as concertmaster, you have control more often that not, on the real-time details of a performance in motion, the accelerator, hand break, hot, cold and eject buttons, so to speak. What that amounts to, is whoever sits in the concertmasters chair, has an amazing array of responsibilities and options to control the “flow” of a performance, much more-so in an orchestra sans conductor, which we are. When the ensemble is a good one, and the concertmaster has a ‘plan,’ and has valuable input and the indispensable support from his principals, if he can then convince and get the tacit approval of his fellow musicians that the plan could work, if the whole things clicks, the results are usually very gratifying.

I am privileged to be working with a wonderful core group of musicians. It is very difficult to perform the music we do without a conductor. It is commonly said that a chamber orchestra is like the commando unit of your military, only the highly skilled and motivated can cope. In a sticky situation, when it comes to the fight-or-flight response, I can always bet on the former with this group. In the midst of a raging fugue hurtling down at a dangerous tempo, we only have each other to fall back on. No central figure holding on to the reigns here.

RC: It has been remarked, and we have witnessed it for ourselves, that the CMSC concerts do possess an intensity that is not usually experienced in our concert halls. How is this done?

LJDS: I can only speak for myself; it takes a long checklist of line items to make a performance of ours get off the ground. I would like you to ask the other members of the orchestra for their angles too, for more of a total picture of what makes our concerts ignite. It is the mysterious synergies of many that make it happen. But for myself, each time I am on stage, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to project the art of sound with everything I have got. It is a composite of my entire life distilled in that moment, from the first ever music I heard, to analyzing Stephen Allen’s newest work a few days ago. And all the decades’ in-between of intense training I have had with the best there is. Throw into that mix all of life’s losses, gains, bitter and sweet experiences, that is possibly the edge you hear when I am in play. I view the world largely through a series of cadences, and at this point, it is the only metaphysical aspect of my life that I am somewhat convinced about.

Of course, on a more terrestrial level, we enjoy the generosity of our altruistic benefactors, sponsors and patrons. They are singularly important for any form of art to prosper. High culture regrettably does not come cheap. We also have in place a super efficient front and back office, great support from our friends, who happen to be some of the best minds in the media arts industry around us, unstinting help from my colleagues plying the boards in the great citadels of art and culture. And to cap it, we employ a constantly running self-check mechanism based on realism and applicable international benchmarks, which hopefully prevents us from making that deal-breaking faux pas. This is all calibrated to make your concert experience a worthy one. Standard stuff really.

RC: There have been instances where sections of the media have labelled the CMSC’s concerts as very un-accessible to the general public, both in terms of availability of tickets and programming. Is there any truth to this, and if so, is it deliberate and justified?

LJDS: This all came about after I said something not so flattering at a public forum about the state of the arts today in our country. It was a general comment that was taken out of context and twisted to look like the CMSC was an Illuminati like cabal catering to a patrician clique. Far from it. But I understand how we could come across as inaccessible. We do not advertise or place posters all over the city; so right off the bat, you have been labelled an elitist. But, we are not selling soap or something, we are so fortunate not to have to advertise aggressively, it would go against the grain of what we are all about, because the quality of our end product and the basis for our existence is not based on the bottom line of how many tickets we sell or how much money we make. We are a non-profit organization with very clear objectives, supported by patrons of the arts and like-minded corporations and embassies. Our limited tickets are sold out virtually by word of mouth. We have a growing database of people we have identified who understand and may find value in what we do. So just because you don’t know about our concerts does not mean we are deliberately seeking to filter the audience. Awareness campaigns and expanding the audience base will happen when the need arises, the plans have only to be put in play.

On our programming being inaccessible, well, we are a chamber music society, and are somewhat restricted by that title. Our mandate, like I have said before, is to promote and protect music that has been globally acknowledged to have substantial properties of value, integrity, style and intellectual intensity in them. Music that will continue to be valid long after we are gone. It would be self-defeating on our part to throw some ‘accessible’ tunes in our programs hoping it would attract more attention and possibly sell more tickets. I think it is as ridiculous a notion, to expect the Sri Lankan XI to play a round of gudu on the rest day of a test with the thinking that that would broad base the game of cricket. Casting no aspersions on the game of gudu of course. Classical musicians are the curators of an archaic art form. Entering the ethos of a nation’s cultural soul is something you have to aspire to, it is hard-core, and it will never come to you. We are not interested in the immortalization of standardised entertainment or pandering to anyone’s base instincts. There are enough good people doing that. And if it helps, we do not mind being exhibit-A in the defense’s case against the dumbing down of great art.

RC: What are the concerts planned for the 2009/2010 season?

LJDS: Coming up are the commemoration concerts and workshops for some heavy weight composers from Europe. Purcell, Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn. We will also be visiting the music of Villa-Lobos, Brazil’s greatest composer; it’s his 50th death anniversary this year. The concerts will be presented along with the Goethe Institute and the German Embassy in Colombo.

RC: According to the press kit of the Society, the performing ensemble is just one of the Societies mandates, can you talk about the others?

LJDS: Yes, at the risk of sounding grandiose, the CMSC is an arts organization set up with the ideals to advance and nurture the creation, dissemination, understanding and love of high culture. I have the zealousness of a young extremist, when it comes to the belief I hold of music possessing the power to act as catalyst. I can go on and on this, but what is happening in China and Venezuela with western classical music should give us inspiration. With our limited funds right now, the Society is embarking on instrument loaning, free music education, subsidised music equipment, music festivals etc. Our 5/10-year plan includes much bigger projects benefitting way more people.

RC: You have been given the responsibility of creating a chamber/orchestral music program at the University of the Visual and Performing Arts, what do your plans entail?

LJDS: This is hugely exciting for me. These are intelligent young Sri Lankans from all walks of life who have decided early on in their lives to dedicate themselves to enriching the society they live in through music, and in particular, western music. Some of them already possess solid technique, and with proper handling, will be valuable contributors to any classical ensemble on graduation. One of our mid to long-term goals is to work towards this program fuelling a future state ensemble. We are grateful to have tremendous support from the very highest office to the Embassy/NGO level to make it happen.

RC: What are your thoughts on a possible successor to the late Dr. Premasiri Khemadasa’s formidable musical legacy?

LJDS: There is no one, and I don’t think anyone who has an ounce of credibility and individuality would want to be the one. Maestro Khemadasa was a one-off, volcanic moment of greatness in Sri Lanka’s musical history. And it would be foolish to think that you could succeed professionally in creating the way he did. He was absolutely unique, and fundamentally important, especially to the film composer fraternity of this country, who ply the road he hacked alone for most of his life.

RC: In your estimation, what is the most valuable work Master Khemadasa left us?

LJDS: Without hesitation, Pirinivan Mangalya (A Requiem for the Buddha). It truly has the potential of transcendentality. It has been internationally recognized as a seminal work in our country’s cultural pantheon. And on a personal note, I am doubly grateful to have been the concertmaster of its world premiere many years ago, and to have worked closely with the maestro on certain details of the score along with my brother Rohan, who actually commissioned the work for the Sri Lanka Philharmonic Orchestra.

RC: Let us now talk about your relationship with film as a composer; you have been credited in the local and international media with having contributed to the evolution of the music of South Asian cinema. Was it necessary?

LJDS: If evolved means changed, yes, it is necessary. Organic change is inevitable. We are all evolving in some way, some embrace it, and some deny it. And this guild, so to speak, that I belong to, is made up of directors and musicians who are not afraid of change. People who don’t take refuge in the past, who don’t tell me, hey, can you do what Master Khemadasa did for Nidhanaya, or can you approximate that Karaindrou score, or how about a song like A Change Is Gonna Come. Ironic but tedious. The people I work with are visionaries who have a strong sense of individuality and purpose. And we share a deep interest in the direction that South Asian cinema takes. We are reminded always, that we are part custodians of a facet of global cinema, and have the responsibility to make sure that the art form is not completely overwhelmed by the facile and mediocre.

RC: Are you saying that most films from South Asia are facile and mediocre?

LJDS: I should never have said that! Most films made in the world are facile and mediocre, you know what I mean; it’s like letting the individually wrapped slice of processed cheese take over, with no room left for the Brie de Meaux. The ‘auteurs’ of this world are few and far between, and have to be made more visible.

RC: What is your creative process when it comes to composing the original score?

LJDS: Complicated question, I suppose like most film composers, you begin with a discussion on the premise with the director. If you feel like it is something you understand and can come to terms with intellectually and ethically, and are mostly on the same page, you proceed to the next step, which is the script. I personally get very little out of the script, so I wait for headshots of the principals and location stills etc. I am now seeing colour, moods, which I am able to vaguely decode into some sort of sound clusters. When the first edit is in, the general character, feel and pace of the film starts percolating through various aural templates in my mind, I tool around endlessly looking for that door to open. It could take anywhere from months to a couple of days. And when the final cut is dumped into my timeline, that is when I start to panic! It’s all a blur after that.

RC: What makes you tic as a person?

LJDS: A billion things and nothing. But really, thinking about it, my family rates right up there for the most compelling reason I have to live in this otherwise aching fragment of our so-called eternal voyage. There is nothing of significance I do that is not in someway, inspired by their presence. My wife, I have known her for over half of my life, is more important to me than I could possibly express. Our children, what can I say…. and my mother. These are the all-pervading non-negotiable tangibles. What also makes me tic is maybe sipping a damn fine Armagnac, food, discovering great new music and film, chess, conversation with friends late into the night, coffee. These things make me happy.

http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2009/08/23/mon01.asp

September 2nd, 2009 | Reviews and Media | No comments

July 20th, 2009 | Reviews and Media | No comments

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July 20th, 2009 | Reviews and Media | No comments

Malcolm v. Stülpnagel, Galle.

On Saturday the 31st January, the Chamber Music Society of Colombo performed at the historic 18th century Dutch Reformed Church in the Galle Fort. Presented by the Galle Literary Festival and sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the elite ensemble, directed by Lakshman Joseph de Saram, made a tremendous artistic impact.

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July 20th, 2009 | Reviews and Media | No comments

Enticing spell of classical music:
Reviewed by Indeewara Thilakarathne and Ranga Chandrarathne

The most exciting and extremely relevant piece of serious avant garde music of the inaugural concert of the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, held recently at the Russian Cultural Centre, was the composition by Stephen Allen on the legendary tusker Kandula.

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July 20th, 2009 | Reviews and Media | No comments

July 19th, 2009 | Reviews and Media | No comments

Enter the Gladiators! (Sunday Leader October 12 2008)

Opening its premiere season last Sunday night, the ensemble of the Chamber Music Society of Colombo began the concert with Mozart’s overture to Lucio Silla. The highly charged moment of silence right before the downbeat, where the musicians were poised with bows up in the air like cobras waiting to strike, was most arresting.  And with the rambunctious,explosive first phrase, the ensemble presented its formidable performing credentials, due largely to its artistic director’s indefatigable energy and passion. Lakshman Joseph de Saram needs no introduction in Colombo’s cultural milieu. His commitment to Sri Lanka’s cultural well-being is undisputed.

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May 30th, 2009 | Reviews and Media | No comments