This is one of the better articles I have read about this new initiative from ARR. Most of the other reports are so mundane, so routine and so repetetive
-A On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 8:15 PM, rakesharr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > ** > > ** > > ** > 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 > > > > > -- -A http://viewsnmuse.blogspot.com
