Nim him sewwa maa sasare: Creating musical magic

10 January 2016 06:56 pm - 1 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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This is a version which will endure along with the original

“Ganga Addara” is a popular song which has undergone several covers, including one by the Sound Asia Academy, and another excellent one by Billy Fernando. But the most interesting version to my mind has been done by Mahes Denipitiya and his group MAFF, with Ruwan Weerasekara and Devashri de Silva doing the vocals.
It tries neither to be close to the original nor does it try any radical departure from it, which is why it works so well.

Ruwan Weerasekara, who is now tragically fighting for his life in a semi-comatose state, is an amazingly talented perfomer, a terrific violinist and a superb vocalist. In this cover, his highly trained voice glides across the entire tonal range with amazing fluidity. It’s tragic that this chronic underachiever never got anywhere near his true potential. But this cover version alone should guarantee him a place in the top ranks of our popular singers.

The original was sung by Pandit W. D. Amaradeva for Manik Sandrasagra’s Film Seethadevi. It’s a love song, but a strange one, contemplative and philosophical, using theology as a filter for carnal love. ‘Nim him sewwa maa sasare’ means ‘I searched the limits of Samsara’. That’s hardly a typical opening line for a love song. The imagery of a journey through samsara occur again and again in the lyrics. It’s hardly a surprise that Amaradeva was chosen to sing this song over forty years ago as it was in the tradition of those great Amaradeva songs on Buddhist themes such as ‘Sansara Gamane.’

That an Ameradeva song could be effectively rendered as a pop version over four decades later shows the extent to which Sinhala music has evolved. It’s a tribute too, to the imagination and daring of today’s generation.

"The end result is an effect far from Amaradeva’s original. This cover manages a delicate balancing act – it moves far from the curbing of sensuous pleasure as intended by the Amaradeva original. But neither are we plunged headlong into an abyss of sensuous delights."

Devashri de Silva sings like a revelation. She glides over her considerable tonal range with the ease of an eagle with wings spread out. This is a fascinating combination – Ruwan Weerasekara’s powerful voice restrained by his eastern classical training, and Devashri de Silva with her Western nuances and inflections rich in blues and gospel influences. It’s a rare combination in Sinhala music, and takes it beyond that to the realm of world music.

To accommodate this vocal combination, Mahesh Denipitiya arranged an instrumental combination beautiful in its simplicity.

Half way, Devashri de Silva breaks into the English version. Nimal Mendis, being Nimal Mendis, composed ‘When will I see you again’ first, with the Sinhala version as its logical partner. I believe he did the same with Master Sir, another Manik Sandarasagara film theme song.

Veteran musician Mahes Denipitiya has created a tantalising, non-stick musical web on which the two vocal renditions glide with ease. The song starts with an eastern-style ‘alap’ by Ruwan which should be taken as a classroom example of correct pitching by those who want to sing on stage as pros. Devashri joins in with her blues-based harmonies. It creates musical magic. This isn’t a large orchestra – bass guitar, percussion, keyboards – but Mahes Denipitiya knows how to get the most of his musicians, weaving a sensuous texture which makes it sound like a much bigger orchestra.

The end result is an effect far from Amaradeva’s original. This cover manages a delicate balancing act – it moves far from the curbing of sensuous pleasure as intended by the Amaradeva original. But neither are we plunged headlong into an abyss of sensuous delights. We keep drifting back and forth in a state of bliss which only good music can create. This is by all means a version which will endure along with the original.

Comments - 1

vijith kumar senaratne Monday, 11 January 2016 09:48 AM

Not a word about the original Music Director Mr Nimal Mendis who is no more.

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Nim him sewwa maa sasare: Creating musical magic

This is a version which will endure along with the original

"The end result is an effect far from Amaradeva’s original. This cover manages a delicate balancing act – it moves far from the curbing of sensuous pleasure as intended by the Amaradeva original. But neither are we plunged headlong into an abyss of sensuous delights."

Comments - 1

Add comment

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