Technology meets culture in A.R.Rahman's new music conservatory.
SUDHISH KAMATH reports
He lured an entire generation of musicians towards technology. And now
he comes a full circle, trying to get them back on track. A.R.
Rahman's current passion is to create an authentic Indian orchestra.
The first step towards that is establishi ng the KM Music Conservatory
as a bridge between music, technology and culture. The conservatory will
help techno-savvy sound-engineers to learn the basics of composing and
spend time with instruments hands-on and musicians to learn the
importance of technology and the basics of sound recording. And thus,
create that unique Indian orchestral sound. Or symphony as Rahman likes
to call it.
The reason musicians in the West find themselves financially secure is
that even if they play in an orchestra, they do other music related
things they edit music, they freelance and are not dependent on
any one source of income, as Rahman points out.
"We want our Hindustani and Carnatic musicians to be able to read
Western notations and adapt to playing with other musicians," says
Rahman. "So that they can learn to play with ten other sitarists at
the same time. That's the sound we've never heard before,"
he says.
Symphony is not to be confused with Western Classical Music, he
clarifies using his "Bombay" theme to explain. "That was
essentially Indian but it played out through a Western sensibility."
Rahman's vision is to create an orchestra that not only sounds
distinctly Indian but also blends various aspects of Indian culture and
bhakti, which he believes, is at the heart of orchestral symphony.
"Devotion is the basic element in all the music. It's an open
thing, so many things can be done," he says.
Spiritual note
Spirituality plays a huge role in his life, so much that he's chosen
to call the conservatory KM as he believes that these initials are
"spiritually close" to him and have brought him good luck. But,
necessity is the mother, of course. After frequent trips to Prague and
Birmingham to record orchestral sound for his films, Rahman pondered
over the need for our own orchestra. "Even Bahrain and Iraq have
their own national orchestra," he laments. "We are a country of
1.4 billion people and we don't have our own national symphony
orchestra. Since then, it's been a burning desire to have something
like that of our own."
The reason why music directors go abroad to record orchestral music is
that what takes two months of effort in India can be completed with
foreign orchestras in four days, he says. "There's so much
perfection in the way they approach music and translate notes. It used
to be there in my dad's generation but it's not there any
more."
Rahman probably knows he's responsible for more and more music
directors slanting towards technology-based music. But there's only
so much you can do with technology and nothing can match the feel of
listening to a live orchestra. "Our source of entertainment has
always been monopolised by films but there's a different kind of
entertainment too: Orchestral music which is on the other side of art.
If we educate our people, we could get that into the mainstream," he
explains. Orchestral sound is probably the future of film music, if we
take a cue from original soundtracks from Hollywood and trust Rahman to
understand its importance.
As the founder Principal of KM Conservatory, Rahman has pulled all
strings and created an advisory panel consisting of a repertoire of
veteran musicians, both Indian and Western. The conservatory received
about 250 applications since the announcement on his birthday.
Rahman's says that he's not even started calculating the cost of
the project. "We're just putting everything we have into it. God
willing, we will have our own campus in two years time. I have a place
in mind that is about three to five acres, a quiet kind of environment
where there will be music and not car horns," he says. Apart from
visiting faculty from all around the world and guidance from veteran
musicians, the students will have special classes from Rahman himself.
"I am doing just two films a year, so I guess I should have all the
time," he smiles.
Pillars of support
As honorary advisor and member of the panel, classical violinist
Dr.L.Subramaniam says: "It is a courageous and brilliant start.
It's going to give a lot of opportunities to groom our own talent
and give them adequate exposure to other cu ltures through a holistic
approach to music."
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
NEW FRONTIERS Rahman with the team
Also part of the panel of experts is Hindustani classical veteran Ghulam
Mustafa Khan who expressed his solidarity saying that Rahman had pulled
off what he had only thought about. "I am with him. And will always
be," he said in Hindi.
Srinivas Krishnan, founder of the Global Rhythms ensemble, recalls how
it started: "It was way back in 2003 when he spelt out what he had
in his heart. I was fortunate that many of my students were at his
studio collaborating with him."
T. Selvakumar, Managing Director of KM Music Conservatory and
Apple-certified Audio Media Education, tells us that the first batch
will start in June 2008 with an intake of 150 students. The conservatory
will have three different kinds of courses: a part-time two-times-a-week
preparatory programme that anyone can join, a foundation course for
beginners and a diploma course. "All admissions are through
auditions only," says Selvakumar.
For more information and announcements, visit arrahman.com or
audiomedia.in.
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/03/13/stories/2008031350760100.htm
<http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/03/13/stories/2008031350760100.htm>
