De Lanerolle Brothers take Sunil Shantha’s music into the future
Celebrating their 15th anniversary, the De Lanerolle Brothers, are paying tribute to Sunil Shantha and their heritage in their latest show ‘Olu Pipeela’. With the collaboration of the Sunil Shantha Padhanama and the support of the musician’s son Lanka Shantha, they will present the songs of this legendary musician, considered the father of modern Sinhala music.
To be held on Sunday, May 5 at the Port City Gallery, the show has involved much preparation to capture the essence of Sunil Shantha’s music. This concert will feature traditional instruments, such as sitar and tabla, a first for a De Lanerolle concert. As Sinhala music contains its own plethora of different rhythms, intervals and styles, the De Lanerolles will be paying respect to Shantha’s music by not altering original tunes in any form, but adding their own special touches and taking on the differences that emerge. The De Lanerolles are backed by the DLB Squared Band directed by Shobi Perera.
Noting how different Sinhala music is from Western music, in terms of musicality and instrumentation, Ishan De Lanerolle feels Sunil Shantha’s music widely regarded as ‘futuristic’, should be respected and celebrated not only by Sri Lankans, but by the rest of the world too.
Lanka Shantha and the Sunil Shantha Padhanama are very involved in giving insights into the great musician’s compositions. Details, down to the pronunciation of each and every word, are carefully scrutinised to ensure that Sunil Shantha’s music is accurately portrayed. The choice of venue, the Port City Gallery, is a nod to the future, for Port City connects Sri Lanka to the rest of the world, Ishan adds. It is a very accessible venue, as vehicles can be driven right upto the point of drop off too.
There will be two shows for the evening with Sri Lankan cocktails included. For tickets please call: 0777-996991.