Saturday 8th December 2022

We were offered 4 tickets for a concert by the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, at the Lionel Wendt Theatre, with guest pianist Shani Diluka.  We grabbed the opportunity with open arms, taking my mummy and our friend Pavel; the perfect people to join us and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a humble and honest lady Shani was, talented and skilled at the same time and conducting the orchestra from her seat at the piano. The four-minute encore of a piano transcription of de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance was a fearsome piece, played at such speed and intensity to impress and completely draw us into her music. It was just a shame I couldn’t see her hands and the keyboard; only her body which moved emphatically and animatedly with the music.  I wish I could play like her.

We ended the musical evening with a delicious and plentiful Serbian dinner (if not as big as the hamberger poster outside!) and coffee at Mitsi’s, to celebrate living.  

Rennie