thnx 4 this one...... but no video 4 this ? or i missed it ? CNN used 2
present both ways video clip & transcript of d same.......
Shah Navas G <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
The Mozart of Madras: Composer A. R. Rahman
Story Highlights
Composer A. r. Rahman has sold over 200 million albums worldwide
The 'Mozart of Madras' works in both the Indian film industry and Hollywood
Rahman's work includes the music for 'The Lord of the Rings' stage
production
Next Article in Entertainment ยป
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The Screening Room went to the Theatre Royal in
Drury Lane in the heart of London's West End, where a spectacular musical
version of "The Lord of The Rings" is enjoying a successful run, to meet Indian
composer A. R. Rahman, whose blend of Asian culture with rock and Western
classical styles has revolutionized the Indian film industry. And now Rahman is
about to make his mark in Hollywood.
A. R. Rahman, interviewed by CNN's Screening Room
Virtually unknown in Europe and the U.S., Rahman has sold 200 million albums
worldwide -- more than the Beatles -- and is worshipped throughout much of
Asia, where he's known as the Mozart of Madras.
Now he has added a Hollywood film score to his vast repertoire of movie music.
Rahman explained to CNN what he thinks makes great movie music. "A great
soundtrack is like 'Laura"s theme', the 'Love Story' theme, 'Chariots of Fire'
and all those sorts of things, where it stood by itself," he said. But
recently, he's noticed a changing mood. "Now it is becoming too abstract and
more ambient and more... I don't know, soundscape-ish, more than melody. People
are afraid of melody: 'Oh, that melody is distracting my scene,' it is becoming
like that."
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And that brings fresh challenges for the makers of film music. "Now the
challenges of the composer are much more," he told CNN. "One needs to know of
recording, production, it is not enough to compose a great theme and [know] how
it can intertwine with the movie. And with Indian film it is an even greater
challenge, because we need to be like Michael Jackson, John Williams, Hans
Zimmer and an Indian folk composer all put together. So they expect finesse and
they expect versatility."
Rahman's compositions are versatile enough to be used by both Bollywood and
Hollywood, a case in point being his music for the Hindi film "Dil Se," which
was used almost a decade later by Spike Lee for "Inside Man."
But for Rahman, the process to create film music is being challenged by
increasingly crammed movie schedules. "There used to be a time where the
director and the composer would work together," he explained. "They would
develop themes and the director would shoot a scene, but now the world's so
fast that people are finishing the movie even before going to a composer."
As well as writing songs and scores, Rahman has featured in many Bollywood
films singing the songs which are mimed by the acting superstars. He recently
completed a sell-out tour of the U.S. performing highlights from his songbook
to devoted fans.
He explained to CNN how playback singing is a normal part of Indian film
music. "Well, until I worked in 'Bombay Dreams' six or seven years back, I
never realized that it is not cool to have playback singing. Until then, it was
the story of Indian films where somebody else lip synchs and somebody else
sings." And Rahman has been converted to the Western model, where those singing
on-screen usually provide the vocals themselves. "In my future projects I would
rather have a star who sings," he said.
Director Shekhar Kapur recruited Rahman and fellow composer Craig Armstrong
to provide the score for Cate Blanchett's sequel to "Elizabeth," "The Golden
Age," which premieres at Toronto Film Festival in September this year.
Kapur described the thrill of working with two such different -- and
complementary -- composers. He told CNN, "Here are two totally different
cultures. Craig Armstrong is strings and heart, the skies, choir, angels and
devils, and A. r. is modern, restless music."
"Just to get them together was very interesting for me. To sit there and see
both of them jamming together, that was fascinating. They wouldn't talk, they
would jam, and out of the jamming came the music. It was great."
Rahman is still getting used to his new-found status as darling of both East
and West -- and it leads to a somewhat chaotic lifestyle, as he explained. "It
is terrifying sometimes. I suddenly wake up in Scotland doing music for 'Golden
Age,' and suddenly wake up doing an Indian superstar film, but I think after
all these years I am probably getting a balance."
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/08/22/ar.rahman/
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