‘Reason for the season’ with The Revelations

The all male group have some surprises in store for their Christmas special

e is Christmas… Still” – their forthcoming show carries a lot of significance and meaning for the Revelations. “The title was chosen to bring out the true meaning of Christmas which is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ which has been overtaken by the tinsel, baubles and lights,” explains the manager of the all-male group Priyan De Livera. Having carefully selected songs that reflect ‘the reason for the season’, director and conductor Sanjeev Jayaratnam described the show as one for the whole family. With guest performances by the Revelations Academy and the Methodist College Choir the show on December 8 at the BMICH will be a cross section of music from gospel to secular, pop, jazz and choral.

Watching the group perform their six to seven part harmonies completely in sync, toes tapping and faces beaming, lost in the fun and joy of singing their version of “Jingle Bells” it is hard to believe that there is almost a 30-year age gap between some members. “Our practices always end in laughter,” Sanjeev says.

For Ashan Algama the experience of being a part of the Revelations is quite simply “a journey with a musical family.”

Looking at the programme for December 8 Asanka Perera will only disclose that “We have so many secrets up our sleeves; the audiences wouldn’t know what hit them.” Popular favourites being performed will include jazzed up renditions of “O Holy Night”, “Feliz Navidad” and “Winter Wonderland” while Asanka has also put together a medley of Sinhala carols. We have “traditional music”, the “not so traditional music” and the “used to be traditional music” all packed with laughter, fun and cheer,” adds Asanka.

“The group favourite would have to be our arrangement of the Twelve Days of Christmas” Sanjeev adds to muffled laughs and nods from the rest, giving the impression that this will be one to look forward to.

Founded in 1994 the Revelations made waves in the local music scene and have had international success too. They made their mark in 2008 being the first choir in Sri Lanka and South Asia to win the prestigious title of “World Champion” in two categories- ‘Gospel & Spiritual’ and ‘Male Voice Ensemble’ together with two Gold Medals and a Silver Medal in the ‘Popular Choral Music Ensemble’ category, at the World Choir Games in Graz, Austria. They also have the distinction of making it to the Top 50 Male Choirs in the World (ranked 4th) as listed by the Musica Mundi World Ranking List, presented by the Interkultur Foundation, who are the organizers of the world’s largest choral competitions. They have also been ranked 47th in the world, overall.

“He is Christmas…Still!” will be on December 8 at 7.30 p.m. at the BMICH. Tickets priced at Rs. 2,000, 1,500, 1000, 800 and 500 are available at the Lionel Wendt. For further inquiries contact Priyan 0777 329 287 or Enaksha 0777 324 425.