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To conduct Philarmonia Orchestra at London's Royal Festival Hall : Signal honour for Rohan Joseph

by Karel Roberts Ratnaweera

At a Press conference at the Hotel Lanka Oberoi last week, an historic agreement was signed by the Managing Director of London's Philharmonia Orchestra, David Whelton and Sri Lanka's Orchestral conductor of international repute Rohan Joseph,for a recording contract of the Bruckner Symphony Cycle in London this December.

It was announced at the conference that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who was at the time away on his US visit, had asked the American government to excuse him one day earlier than scheduled to enable him to return to Colombo for discussions with David Whelton on the forthcoming projects which are expected to put Sri Lanka firmly on the map of Asian centres where Western Classical Music is performed by the world's best exponents of it.

The premier's early return from an important American visit is an indication of how seriously the meeting with Whelton was; the prime minister who is a music lover, and particularly of Grand Opera, is determined to see Sri Lanka which has a more than century-old tradition of links with Western Classical Music, become a centre of quality artistic entertainment, more particularly good music, which would be a drawcard for foreign tourists visiting Asia, just as Sri Lanka's entry into and success in the arena of international cricket brings tourists from other countries to see the country's cricketers perform.

Associated with David Whelton and Rohan Joseph at the Press conference and signing of the landmark recording contract were Britain's Executive Award-winning recording producer Jonathan Wearn,Mohan Tissanayagam,Managing Director , International Distilleries and a heavyweight supporter of artistic events and especially of the forthcoming musical projects in the country, and General Manager of the Lanka Oberoi Steffan Pfeiffer who is an avowed lover of the best in music.

Rohan Joseph's appearance at London's Royal Festival Hall, conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra whose home is the Festival Hall, will be a great honour for Sri Lanka, David Whelton said.

The Philharmonia Orchestra whose Patron is the Prince of Wales,is one of the world's greatest such ensembles and one of Europe's busiest orchestras with schedules planned well into the 2003 Autumn-Winter London Concert Season. The orchestra's Principal Conductor is Christoph von Dohnanyi, Conductor Emeritus Kurt Sanderling and Conductor Laureate Vladimir Ashkenazy.

The Philharmonia has entered the new millennium during the most exciting and dynamic phase in its distinguished history.

The Resident Orchestra of the Royal Festival Hall -the Hall was opened to mark the Festival of Britain opened in 1951 by King George V1-is now in its fifth season with the renowned German maestro Christoph von Dohnanyi who has been Principal Guest Conductor since 1995.

The orchestra's innovative regional residencies have provided an ideal opportunity to expand a dynamic educational and community-based programme.

The Philharmonia has worked over the years with some of the 20th century's greatest conductors-names such as Wilhelm Furtwangler, Richard Strauss, Arturo Toscanini, Guido Cantelli, the legendary Klemperer and Herbert von Karajan. For the 2001-2002 season, the orchestra is joined by a galazy of the finest conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen,Yevgeny Svetlanov, Yakov Kreizberg and Vladimir Ashkenazy, with world-class soloists including Mikhail Pletnev, Arcadi Volodos, Krystian Zimerman, Andras Schiff, Vadim Repin and Murray Perahia.

As the world's most recorded symphony orchestra,with well over 1000 releases to its credit, recording continues to play a significant part in its activities.

The orchestra regularly records the music to accompany television programmes and feature films. The Philharmonia's current season will feature concerts in Japan, Austria, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and Belgium in addition to its prestigious residency at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris,and at the Megaron in Athens. The orchestra also opened its New York City Residency in January this year with a critically acclaimed Rachmaninov Series under Vladimir Ashkenazy. It will return to New York in 2003.

Rohan Joseph said that Sri Lanka's indigenous culture will be lifted up to have quality musicians visiting. Investor confidence will come in as well, Joseph said. He said that it is the elite concert-goers who go to the Royal Festival Hall so that they will see Sri Lanka's products such as handicrafts, tea, gems and jewellery and a host of other items that will be displayed in the space that is being made available to Sri Lanka for the special exhibition that will coincide with the momentous event of having a Sri Lankan-born musician of tremendous talent and world recognition conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra.

'Sri Lanka needs to rise,' Rohan Joseph told journalists at the press briefing, adding that several projects being planned will put the country in a light that has not been seen before. One such project was to perform the opera 'The Pearl Fishers' by the French composer Georges Bizet with Mannar as the backdrop.

The first steps in this regard will be to sign on major stars who will sing with the Philharmonia Orchestra for the filming of the opera that will give Sri Lanka a great deal of exposure internationally. Joseph said that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was extremely keen on this project.

The film of 'The Pearl Fishers' will be screened at the next International Tourist Fair. Japan has already said it wants to buy up the film rights. Georges Bizet's world-famous opera 'Carmen', set in Spain is one of the number one opera favourites worldwide, with the title role having been sung by some of the greatest stars including the legendary Maria Callas.

The point was made at the Press briefing that China and Japan have phenomenal musical education systems in place and the two countries are producing some of the greatest performers of Western Classical Music, with 'great' audiences who flock to her not only their own artistes but the mega stars from abroad. It was pointed out that Sri Lanka has the same material to work with to create its own stars, but proper professional musical education infrastructures have to be established.

'The Philharmonia is not for sale.It is very hard to get on the stage of the Royal Festival Hall,' David Whelton said, adding in conclusion that Rohan Joseph must be congratulated for winning the great honour of being invited to conduct the Philharmonia Orchestra in London in December.

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