Pradeep Ratnayake's concert on Feb 24:

Pradeepanjali takes form again

Ganga Pradeepa

It is said that Pradeep is the lamp that illuminates the world. In the case of music in Sri Lanka the name Pradeep is held in high esteem as it means a child prodigy who made his music on sitar reverberate around the world. Pradeep Ratnayake is in fact no stranger to music lovers in this country. He is considered one of the finest if not the best exponent of the sitar born in this country.

Latest

Pradeep announced his latest in the series of Pradeepanjali concerts (his 14th) to be held on Sunday February 24 at the Lionel Wendt at a press conference on Monday.

Pradeepanjali is his effort to give a new identity to his sitar a Sri Lankan identity which can hold its own in the international world of music.

Pradeep did not come from a family of musicians. His father liked music and had been able to play the violin. The only boy in a family of four, Pradeep's first instrument had been the Hawaiian guitar, which his father bought for him when he was just five years.

Orchestras

"Pradeep Ratnayake has performed all over the world with prestigious orchestras and on his own. He has put together several CDs. The first being Indrakeelaya, released by the Central Bank.

His Indrakeelaya was born in tune with the devastation caused by the LTTE attack and the determination associated with the rebuilding of which go way beyond a mere reconstruction of a building", said Former Governor of Central Bank A.S Jayawardene at a press conference at the Galle Face Hotel.

"He described the story through the music and sound. It was a remarkable feat seen in my life. At that time he touched the audience's sensitivity," he added.

Pradeep's experimentation and research are towards creating a Sri Lankan identity of the sitar. Trained at Santiniketan India in classical Hindustani music and excelling as a classical sitarist, Pradeep is engaged in an effort to expand the limits of the sitar and reach new horizons.

"When I saw him for the first time in my life his sitar was taller than him. But at that time he played his sitar in front of me like a talented musician.

"At that time I thought he was going to be a genius and he will one day become a world renowned musician. It has come true. Pradeep highlights not only the enchanting beauty of the sound of music, but also its secret power," said Prof Carlo Fonseka.

Pradeep's co-senior lecturer at Sri Jayawardenapura University Dr Praneeth Abhyasundera himself a musician described Pradeep as a perfectionist who saw to every detail to make his concerts perfect, which is pure professionalism.

"Pradeep wanted to take responsibility for his music and desired to be in the lead unlike many other forms of musicians. We in Sri Lanka can take to the world only a few things and among those few can be added Pradeep's talent and genius", he said.

Determined

A senior lecturer at the University of Sri Jayawardhanapura, Pradeep obtained his Master's degree in Music with a first class from the Visva Bharathi University, Santiniketan, India in 2003.

Determined to take Sri Lankan music to the world Pradeep has evolved his own style and technique of playing the sitar which he calls the "Sri Lankan sitar" and very often his compositions have traditional melodies of this land.

Pradeep's creation, Pradeepanjali is the kind of musical programme, which can be enjoyed over and over again. One could hardly get tired of listening to or watching Pradeep perform. In his hands, the sitar becomes something so close to us. And of course, his ability to give life to it so well makes all the difference.

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