Agni symbolises dawn of agricultural economy
E.M.G. Edirisinghe
OPERA: A kind of musical presentation universally known as opera is
somewhat an experience alien to Sri Lankan theatre audience.
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INNOVATIVE APPROACH: Premasiri Khemadasa |
Among the very few who endeavoured to tap their creative resources
and musical talent to bring an opera on local stage, Dr. Premasiri
Khemadasa is the most conspicuous among them for his innovative,
assertive and original scores which have left a lasting impression on
all lovers of music and theatre.
Some loosely call the operas musical plays a term which is inadequate
to encompass the wider and deeper meaning of it. It conveys the
impression of performance of a musical which has no parallel in any
other form of audio-visual art.
Khemadasa’s Agni the latest opera to adorn the stage sends down
ripples of appreciative response of inner joy with each passing Act of
the play until it reaches the end with Act eight. It is an astute
concentration of tonality of sound associated within a wider scope of
exciting presentation of song, dance and rhythm enveloped into a compact
production.
Agni is fire. The concept of fire is common to both the East and the
West. It is held that it was with the discovery of fire that the seeds
of present civilization of humans together with the dawn of an
agricultural society was identified.
It is similar to the invention of electricity which marks the
beginning of modern civilization of today. And, Agni opera in
multifarious elegance presents how fire was introduced to the humans,
and how it since then completely transformed the life pattern of man
with the foundation of being rebuilt with changes brought in with fire
at their disposal.
Eastern tradition
According to the Eastern tradition, Agni is the God of Fire, Fire
worship was widely practised in ancient India, Babylon and Egypt. Agni
opera centres round the story of fire being sent down for the benefit of
humans by Prometheus (Ginipathy) without the permission of gods who
enjoyed the monopoly of using fire for their comforts and benefits.
It was the epoch of snow and the primordial humans didn’t enjoy the
comfort of fire and they had to live in a frozen state without fire to
keep themselves warm. It was endless cold that they suffered.
Soma an heir to the ancient form of traditional hunting knew only the
elementary form of hunting as practised by his fore-fathers: sad and
dejected over the fact that he had to persist on with a primitive form
of life with no hope of progress in the foreseeable future.
Physical appearance
The gods who enjoyed the monopolistic possession and the use of fire,
were jealously protecting it. In the meantime Prometheus who
sympathetically noted the suffering of humans, who are almost similar to
them in their physical appearance, without fire sent it to them through
his sister Gini Devangana.
With fire, being introduced to them, their social life changed from
one of hunting to agriculture and prosperity dawned on them; foundation
for a new civilization, was laid. But Prometheus, and Soma who went to
his assistance, were punished by the gods for betraying the trust placed
in him that he would not give fire to any other without their consent.
Agni, conceived by the writer and the director, appeals directly to
intellect rather than to emotions. It intellectually engages the viewer
which imprints that every step and every word in the opera in
combination, evolves a vigorous performance replete with poetic energy
to elevate the audience to a high point of joy and taste.
Moving appeal
The first act of the opera ends with a moving appeal for fire which
could bring redress to their woes, and prosperity to their social life.
The lyrical compositions reflecting it are strongly worded and deeply
laden to produce a live expression to their common and individual
feelings.
In a world with no flames to illuminate
There’s no giant strength built in us
In this fearsome land of snow
How are we to survive without fire
Hundreds died in this land
Their bones flesh and blood turning into stones
Gods would you please
Render us the flames of fire
Vigorously and smoothly presented, the theme of the opera was thus
verbally and dramatically conveyed with reverberating musical and dance
rhythm intensifying its effect on the audience.
The grip of the plot from the very beginning is evident how gently
and energetically the cast was made to perform gifting an eyeful to the
audience.
Its theatrical compositions carrying the thematic content advances
through the characters each symbolising the natural phenomenon or the
forces present in the pre-historic social milieu.
Thus Soma the hunter symbolises the prevailing socio-cultural status
of the time. Hunting is essential for his social and physical survival.
He is also symbolical of man’s innate desire for change, discovery and
invention.
On the other hand; Mihi Paba the wife of Soma symbolically represents
the traditional woman whose strengthen is her traditional life pattern
and the cherished beliefs. She is determined to preserve her conjugal
life despite her husband is on voyage seeking social change and economic
advancement.
Innovation and progress
Youthful Dhawla is a reflection of emerging youth inherent in young
men and women. He is the forerunner of innovation and progress, and the
messenger of forthcoming events of prosperity reflective of development
in the quality of life such as the introduction of fire into the earth
through divine intervention of Fire God.
Yakadayo (iron-men) symbolise the men who turned out to be the
primeval technicians who came into being with fire becoming an integral
part of human life. Gini Devangana (Indika Upamali) portrayed the image
of prosperity, beauty and enlightenment indicating the delight the fire
could bring into the human species both practically and figuratively.
Fire is symbolic of the dawn of agricultural economy and the
beginning of industrial development. It re-wrote the history of mankind
when he cast off his primitivism and static social mobility.
Agni is a musical presentation in refined harmonious blend of song,
dance and rhythm with focus on a vision surrounding the origin of the
present civilization.
Nimble and flexible movements with occasional rigidity bring the
performance of the cast in total union with the maximum-used sound and
deep sounding voice rendering various attributes of different meanings
to the vision unfolded on stage.
Costumes are elegantly and meticulously designed in appropriate
colours, shades and folds, and are meant to delineate external
appearance as well as to reflect the inner composition of the character.
A rare dramatic experience treated with true theatre quality that
pleases all strands of joy with ease and delight.
Enhanced effect of music infused into the flow of the narrative
brings in an element of exciting dramatic movement to keep the audience
interest wide awake with glued attention. |
