A.R.Rahman (Fan Club)-Part2

First Previous

Page

116

Next Last

Frequent Posters

Dayita

@dayita

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

#131

Chinese rhapsody

A. R. Rahman has taken the Chinese by storm with his latest composition for the film "Warriors of Heaven And Earth". In conversation with SAVITHA GAUTAM

"WHY ARE you writing about A.R.Rahman now? Has he done something new," somebody asked. Well, one does not always need a reason to write about him. This time, the National Award-winning composer has been in the news for taking the Chinese by storm by composing music for "Warriors of Heaven And Earth", a Chinese/English costume drama about the ancient Silk Route. The background score (with one song) for the film will be released in India as soon as the Tamil and Hindi versions of the song are ready. Just wait at Panchatan Recording Inn, his studio-cum-residence in Kodambakkam, and you get an insight into the life and times of the man. There are people, including director Khalid Mohammed, waiting in the courtyard. A TV camera crew is getting organised for a shoot, while an office boy walks from room to room, fanning a pot of smoking incense. In the background, a man is heard on the phone asking for the price of a blues harp! In the middle of all this, Rahman's daughter is seen flitting in and out before finally deciding "to go upstairs." Well, the place has a definite character. Just like A.R.Rahman. He's an Indian all right with a sensibility of a world musician. And he's as friendly as ever when you meet him, after almost a year. Clad in black churidar kurta, and his trademark hairstyle still in place, Rahman tells you, "I give interviews when I want to chill out!" Excerpts... On the Chinese project: The head of Sony Classical Music, whom I met in London, suggested that I do a project for them in the Western Classical mode. I was supposed to work with Joshua Bell, violinist (of "Red Violin" fame). It was while working with him that the Sony chief suggested I take up the Chinese film. I felt this was a better route to take instead of directly jumping into Hollywood. I met the director He Ping in January this year. The recording: Originally the music was supposed to be recorded in Beijing. But because of SARS, we moved to Prague. At that time, I was busy wrapping up "Boys". So much so, just three days before I had to leave, I realised I had not even started composing! I finally began work only in Prague. That too without the director, who could not get a visa. Fortunately, we worked on alternate days. So I found enough time to compose. Also, I was not doing five things at the same time. It was focussed work. The compositions: What's interesting about the music is it's completely acoustic! I have mixed Chinese, Turkish and Indian sounds as the film is about the Silk Route. I wanted to give the Chinese something they had not heard before, while retaining that international flavour. We have used a Western orchestra and rare instruments such as the Armenian duduk. Looking back, strangely, the first three records I owned were a Chinese one, a Jim Reeves and one by a brass band! The style: It is a departure from electronic sound, all right. I have always been passionate about Western Classical. I must admit that for the first time, when I heard my music played by the orchestra, it sounded exactly like what I had in my head! I found the whole experience liberating. What's more, what would usually have taken me about a month to finish took just three days! Reactions in China: (The film has been released there) It has been very encouraging. The Chinese media has been particularly appreciative. Some of them, who saw the film without the sound track and later with it, said the music lifted the film to a different plane. More Hindi than Tamil films on hand: It is not a sudden shift. If you see my work over the last 10 years, the sound tracks that really made a mark in Tamil have been with directors like Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Kadhir, Bharatirajaa and Rajeev Menon. Other than that, even when you worked very hard, it went unnoticed. Therefore, I do not want to take a risk because of time constraints. To fill the lacuna, I hope to translate some of my Hindi songs into Tamil and release them as albums without associating them with any film. The Symphony: The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has commissioned two works. One is an orchestral reworking of the themes from my various films, which is likely to open in March 2004. The other is a symphony based on "The Conference of the Birds" by Farid Ud-Din Attar, a Persian Sufi. The story is about birds and music, and I thought why not take up the challenge. It may be premiered in September next year. Here I would like to add that unlike in the West, we Indians are not too proud of our heritage. There's so much of Indian art that goes unnoticed because too much importance is given to films. Bombay Dreams, the Broadway version: We are planning to add three numbers and take away three. The script is undergoing some changes to cater for the American audience. Comment on the music industry: I think at this point, things are looking up. In 1999-2000, the business was overvalued by 40 per cent and exaggerated prices were being paid for film scores. So, when the market actually slumped, the scenario seemed worse than it really was. As for FM, I think it's great. But how to use it as a marketing tool is something we are still exploring. His daughters: Well, I'll know in another year if they have any inclination towards music. They are seven and five. I think the younger one is showing some interest. The future: I am looking forward to some rest. There's a lot of travelling in the future. Lots of projects on hand and so little time. In fact, as we leave, a little bird tells us that yet another major musical might be in the offing! * * * FUTURE FLICKS

M.F. Husain's "Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities"

A.M. Ratnam's "Enakku 20 Unakku 18"

"Taj Mahal" (IMAX)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Black", "Bajirao Mastani"

Shekar Kapur's "Paani"

Shyam Benegal's epic "Netaji"

Ketan Mehta's "1857/The Rising"

Subhash Ghai's "Homeland"

Ashutosh Gowrikar's "Swadesh"

Mani Ratnam's bilingual (untitled)

Source:Hindu News, Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003

Quote

Dayita

@dayita

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

#132

Indian film composer for Rings

AR Rahman wrote the score for Bollywood Dreams

The West End version of Tolkien epic Lord of the Rings will have a score written by a top Indian composer. AR Rahman, who also wrote the music for Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit Bombay Dreams,has been commissioned to produce a raft of original songs. Rahman is a star in his native India and has sold more than 100 million albums, composing the soundtracks to more than 50 Bollywood films. The 8m musical is due to open in the spring of 2005. 'Brilliant melodies' Producer Kevin Wallace said: "We are recreating Middle Earth and we needed the music that goes with it to be unique. "AR Rahman writes brilliant melodies with an exotic quality and we know he will write something which audiences will adore." Rahman will collaborate with Finnish folk group Varttina for the show. Rahman will write some of the songs himself, Varttina will write others, and they will also co-write some numbers. Varttina have been chosen for their Finnish background - Tolkien was said to have used the Kalevala, Finland's national epic of mythological songs, poems and stories, as inspiration for his books and the Elvish language he invented.

The third Lord of the Rings movie will be released in December

The show's budget is 1.5m more than Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, currently the most expensive show on the West End. "To do justice to the Lord of the Rings you have to pull out all the stops," Mr Wallace said. The launch of the stage show will come 50 years after Tolkien's trilogy was first published as one volume. The book's popularity has soared in the past two years, since New Zealand director Peter Jackson released the first two Rings films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. The two films are already in the top 10 most successful films of all time.

The third film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is due to be released around the world on 17 December.

source:BBC NEWS - News,Tuesday, 21 October, 2003,

Quote

Looks like you are new here. Register for free, learn and contribute.

Dayita

@dayita

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

#133

Lord of melody hits a high note with Tolkien saga

Vinayak Chakravorty
Tuesday, December 30, 2003

A.R. Rehman would tell you he loves to relish music in all its forms. "I never make any distinction while enjoying good music. I love to listen to music of all kinds – from classical to semi-classical to ghazals to film music old and new," he says diplomatically when you quiz him on his kind of melody. But then, the maestro of contemporary film music also reasons why: "If you have to create tunes for such a diverse medium as films, your musical outlook has to be varied and wide."

Rehman's current obsession – and that's what his calling becomes to India's best known composer of popular music – is recreating the magnificence of Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings for the stage. "When we worked together in Bombay Dreams, Andrew (Lord Webber) told me it was a serious act we were putting up together. I didn't know our rendezvous would get so serious that we would work again, this time recreating the sweeping splendour of Tolkien. The challenge before us right now is putting all the three films together in one musical for the stage. And that itself makes the whole exercise exciting," points out Rehman, in town to receive the National Award for his score in Mani Rathnam's Kannathil Muthammil.

National Award winner A.R. Rahman's most recent challenge is to recreate the magic of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings on stage
Photo: Raj k. Raj

Of course, concentrating on The Lord Of The Rings means Rehman – who's as it is known for being ultra-choosy about the films he works in – will further cut down on Bollywood assignments. The composer, who is known to create music only by night (he insists the quietitude of the hour brings out the best in him), will therefore have his nights full with Tolkien dreams for now. Rehman says composing for a musical is not that if you have honed your skills in films. "If you look at it, several old Hollywood hits were adaptation of plays. A film like The Sound Of Music proved long before our time that what was musically viable for the stage was musically viable for the screen too. I guess with The Lord Of The Rings we are going the other way round." If there's one film that he looks forward to in 2004, it is Subhash Ghai's period epic, Kisna, starring Vivek Oberoi. Interestingly, Rehman will be sharing credits for composition in the film with Ismail Darbar. "When Subhashji requested me to compose for his new film I couldn't refuse – we shared a great rapport during the making of Taal. But because I had already committed dates for The Lord Of The Rings, I won't get time to sit down and focus on the entire score for Kisna. I will simply be composing the theme song – may be one more song at the most – while Ismail takes care of the rest," he explains. So, what new sounds does the man, who revolutionised contemporary film music, hope to introduce in the near future? "I can never plan things when it comes to work," he smiles shyly. "I just love to take in various kinds of sounds and then let it all flow out with my imagination, giving it a concrete definition by way of music." Beyond work, Rehman is a homely guy. "I spend some time doing spiritual incantation when I want peace of mind. And I love spending time with my two daughters and son. My daughters are eight and six years old, and my son turns one in a few weeks," he says, blushing when you tell him he hardly looks like the father of three.

But then, playing the perfect papa is some kind of inspiration for his music too.

Source: HindusthanTimes.com

Quote

Dayita

@dayita

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

#134

Singing for children
By: A Mid Day Correspondent

Sing and smile with me: A.R.Rehman with some underprivileged children
Pic: Shashikant Bajpai

Music director A R Rahman will spend Republic Day doing a concert. He will perform at a show presented by the Tata Group and Save The Children for India's children at the Cricket Club of India. The highlight of the show will be the presentation of a song penned by President A P J Abdul Kalam. Rahman says: "He called me about a year ago, and asked me whether I would like to set his words to music. The song talks about how a better world is possible if one has self-belief, and I was very keen to do it. This would be the perfect occasion." The show will also feature singers Hariharan and Mahalaxmi Iyer, percussionist Taufiq Qureshi and dancer Tanushree Shankar. The other songs would include Gurus Of Peace, Chhoti Si Asha and Maa Tujhe Salaam. Vipula Kadri, national director of Save The Children, also said that she was thrilled to have Rahman as ambassador for Save The Children. Rahman added: "Some five years ago, while I was on a flight, I saw an envelope of Save The Children. I was touched by the motive of this organisation, and I kept contributing. When I met Mrs Kadri, I said I would like to help in this cause in my own way."

Romit Chatterji, vice-president (corporate affairs) of Tata Services, said the Tata Group has always believed in making a difference to the lives of the less privileged. "Our support to Save The Children for this concert is one such endeavour," she says.

Source: Mid Day News, January 20, 2004

Quote

Jaseeka

@Jaseeka

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

#135

Originally posted by: dayita

Its 6th January sis.

Thanx di!!😃

Quote

Jaseeka

@Jaseeka

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

#136

thanx for the articals di will read them tommorow!! 😊

Quote

Dayita

@dayita

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

#137

Welcome Sis, take your time to read my posts.

Edited by dayita - 18 years ago

Quote

Dayita

@dayita

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

#138

Hey members!!

Its Saturaday again..and you all must be anxiously waiting to know who is the "Fan Of the Week" of this week.

After Sammie,Sudha, Doly and me who is the next.

And our Fan of This Week

....................................................
Nope I am not going to announce it..you have to guess it !

What happened?Oho you need some clues, right?

Hum clues....

Well you can call our newest FOW a linguistic...what else you can call some one who can speak in not 2 or 3 but 5 languages.

Need more clues???

Well our FOW of this week like to eat chips and drink cola!!Also likes Badmantion and Basketball

Dont understand yet!!
More cluess........

Okay one more..A fan of Bani!

Yeh now you got it!

The Fan of This Week is none other than our dearest
Geeta (Jaseeka)

One of the newest, youngest and regular member of our Fan Club..

Congrats Geeta.Enjoy your week Coming with my questions soon.

Quote

Sudha

@Sudha_rn

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

#139

Congrats Geeta!!! 👏 I'm ready with my qs😆

My Qs:
1. How do you came to know about this club?
2. Why do you like Rahmanji's Music?
3. Your Favourite composition of Rahmanji?

will come with more later....
Enjoy 👍🏼