Classical musicians to honour Vietnam, Sri Lanka friendship

Soprano Tharanga Goonetilleke will perform at the friendship concert featuring musicians from Vietnam and Sri Lanka. - Photo ytimg.com

It is the first time that Sri Lankan and Vietnamese classical musicians will play together on one stage. The concert will showcase the highest levels of musical professionalism.

The concert will star pianist Rohan de Silva, soprano Tharanga Goonetilleke and maestro Lalanath de Silva.

Composer and conductor de Silva was born in 1959. His conducting career has emphasised the performance of new, experimental and innovative Sri Lankan music.

As a composer, de Silva has strived to bring together elements of Western and Oriental music.

Soprano Goonetilleke is also an associate of the Trinity College of Music in London. Goonetilleke’s performances have taken her all over the world, including to Italy, France, England, Scotland, Korea, Uganda, India, Sri Lanka, Canada and the US.

Pianist de Silva has partnered with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman at worldwide recitals with every notable violinist on the concert stage today.

Vietnamese musicians who will participate are tenor Nguyen Tuan Anh, pianist Bui Dang Khanh and the Sun Symphony Orchestra (SSO).

The SSO is a newly formed professional orchestra that comprises not only Vietnamese but also several eminent foreign musicians. Its music director and principal conductor is Maestro Olivier Ochanine.

The programme will consist of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 1, several arias and a duet from well-known operas including one by Sri Lankan composer Premasiri Khemadasa, a new overture by Maestro Lalanath de Silva and Mozart’s overture to the Magic Flute.

The Sri Lankan musicians and SSO performance are free to the public.

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Vietnam Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake said people-to-people contacts ultimately pave the way for understanding and building up trust, essential precursors to achieving policy objectives in the bilateral economic and diplomatic relationship.

“In Vietnam, where people have nurtured a great taste and passion for western classical music, what better way to make a true and sincere connection than by appealing to the Vietnamese soul through music,” she said.

“Besides, there is no doubt that this concert is a one-of-a-kind, lifetime opportunity for the classical music lovers of Vietnam.”

Free tickets can be collected at the Sri Lankan embassy.