I think regular exposure to music performed at a high level is crucial, and I was very lucky to attend a school in England with a great music tradition - King Edward's School, Birmingham
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The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL) presents the Romantic Masterworks Concert on the 27th of July 2024 at 7.00pm at the Lionel Wendt Theatre.
The programme will open with the stirring 'Der Freischütz' Overture by Carl Maria von Weber, followed by the composer's Second Clarinet Concerto in E-flat. Distinguished Professor of Clarinet, Dr. Jonathan Guist from the United States will be the featured soloist for the evening. The SOSL is also proud to present young Sri Lankan pianist Dhiren Fernando, who will be performing Sergei Rachmaninoff's Second Piano concerto in C-minor. Known for its lush harmonies and sweeping melodies, the work is a cornerstone of the Romantic piano repertoire. Under the baton of conductor Dushyanthi Perera, the SOSL will bring these Romantic-era masterpieces to life, offering a captivating and memorable night of music.
The concert is sponsored by the Tennyson & Vinitha Rodrigo Trust and co-sponsored by People's Leasing Finance PLC, with support from Print Media Sponsors the Wijeya Group. Tickets are priced at Rs. 7500, 5000, 4000, 3000 (reserved) and 1500 (balcony unreserved) and are available at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. WhatsApp 0740670202 to reserve.
Today we speak with young pianist Dhiren Fernando, who is making his debut as a soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL)
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Q: Who/what inspires you when it comes to classical music?Without a doubt, Ms. Dushyanthi Perera, my teacher. She completely altered my perspective on music in general and how I evaluate my own performance as I gain knowledge and experience. I don’t have enough words to describe how amazing she is as a teacher and mentor. Aunty Dushy is a hard taskmaster. When it comes to music, she is a perfectionist and will not allow me to settle for anything less than my absolute best, especially during practice sessions. When I was younger, our early years together were, to put it mildly, turbulent. However, she was incredibly patient with me, and without her, playing this would have been an unattainable dream. I think regular exposure to music performed at a high level is crucial, and I was very lucky to attend a school in England with a great music tradition - King Edward's School, Birmingham. I played the double bass in the school symphony orchestra under its conductor, the inspiring Dr. Martin Leigh, and every year we performed a sensational piece of music last summer, for example, it was Mahlers Symphony Fantastique, a challenge even for professional orchestras. My favourite pianists were always the greats of the last century, Rubinstein and Horowitz. But for this concerto itself, my favourite recording is definitely Alexei Sultanov, playing it in the final of the Van Cliburn Competition, which he won in 1989 at just 19 years old. He brings out certain lines in a way which I find no other pianist can quite compare.
Q:What is Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and what made you choose it for your debut performance?
Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto is widely known as one of the most challenging and beautiful pieces of music a pianist could perform, so naturally there’s no room for mistakes. Both musically and technically, it's the hardest piece we've ever played, but since I liked it quite so much, I never found it tedious, and I was quite happy to work hard on it. There are some long sections in the third movement which I found really difficult at first, but now that I am more comfortable with the music, I can focus more on the interpretational aspects of the place whenever I practice. I first heard it during lockdown, a recording of Grigory Sokolov, when all I did was lie on the sofa and listen to music. I fell in love with it all the way back then, but didn't have the technical skill to even think about playing it. I started learning it tentatively, by myself, around summer 2023, but still found it too difficult. When I started going to Aunty Dushy for lessons more frequently after I moved back to Sri Lanka in November 2023, it was she who gave me the confidence to start playing this concerto. We looked at a number of different concertos, Brahms, Chopin and Saint-Saens, but I liked this one best. Aunty Dushy liked the way I played Rachmaninov's Elegie for my Grade 8 ABRSM exam and thought I could play this well, if I put in a lot of practice.
Q: Is music all you have done over the past eight years?
Not at all. I have a strong passion for sports, and I play rugby. I have represented my school teams, making it to the school A team and representing the school at the bi-annual rugby tour to South Africa last year. My life has been busy, to say the least. I was a member of the team representing England at the Emerging World Leaders summer programme at the University of Chicago in 2023. Being an officer in the Royal Air Force Cadets, and representing the school at the all-England Philosophy competition, the Philosothon, also took up quite a lot of my time. I also received 11A*s at my GCSEs last year, though my A-Levels look like a whole different ballgame.
Q:What are your future plans?
I am now studying at the Colombo International School, and I am sitting for my A-Level exams in May 2025. I’m studying Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Everything was pretty stressful at the time of auditioning for the SOSL because I did that around ten days before my AS level examinations began. However, now that my exams are done for the time being, I have a lot more energy to devote to practising and studying my music. It's challenging to juggle everything, yet practising is never a task since I get to play music that I enjoy. I will be taking the LRSM with Aunty Dushy, and I will begin preparing for that soon after the concert is over. I'd love to play a duet with her on the cello - perhaps that is something we can do over the next few months, and also potentially the Brahms Concerto (D minor) if time allows, in the future.
