By

Tilak Samarawickrema

I lived in Italy for over 12 years and often went to the Teatro alla Scala with my Milanese friends, but I was never a great opera enthusiast. Nevertheless, being exposed to a fair amount of music internationally, I developed a taste for both western and eastern music.

Kishani Jayasinghe’s rendition of Danno Budunge only adds another dimension to a popular song that has seen many transformations over time.

Watching the clips of her singing at the Independence Day celebration concert, it is obvious that Kishani left our shores to make an impact on the world scene as a soprano with a thorough understanding and awareness of the sensibilities and nuances of her own culture.

This comes through clearly in her rendition of some of our well known folk melodies at the same concert. Kishani is a highly skilled and well schooled soprano, and as Sri Lankans, we need to be proud of her achievements internationally.

I personally think she must have adapted her operatic singing style to cater to the sensibilities of a local audience at the Independence Day concert. She could have beautifully sung the songs she did in a strictly vernacular vein, if she wanted to, but that is not what one expects from an internationally renowned opera singer.

Ignorance and lack of exposure to authentic world music is a sad and insular phenomenon. Regrettably, certain segments of our society seem to suffer from it. Criticizing Kishani Jayasinghe, in a most unjustified and undignified manner only exposes this unfortunate reality.

Courtesy:The Island