hi all
dont know whether this has been posted earlier or not. i saw an ad regarding
sharjah concert in asia net TV saturday night. they displayed the venue name
timing and the sposors name
regards
Anthony
Shamil Sharif <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
A Night to Remember By Jyoti Kalsi, Gulf News Report
Published: April 13, 2008, 00:15
Five years ago he presented an enthralling concert in Dubai. Since then,
A.R. Rahman has further enhanced his impressive repertoire with award-winning
compositions for Bollywood films such as Rang De Basanti, Guru and Jodhaa Akbar
and south Indian movies such as Sivaji: The Boss. The composer, who has
redefined contemporary Indian music and put it on the world stage, also worked
on the soundtrack of Hollywood film Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Chinese movie
Warriors of Heaven and Earth, the stage adaptation of The Lord of the Rings and
released his first English single, Pray For Me Brother, under his own music
label.
Now music lovers in the UAE can look forward to another memorable evening at
his upcoming concert titled A.R. Rahman: Live in Concert, to be held at the
Sharjah Cricket Stadium on April 18. Rahman was in Dubai recently to announce
details of the show at a press conference held at the Grand Hyatt.
"I felt the time was right for another concert here because I now have a good
body of new work to present, he said.
Later, in a chat with tabloid! the soft- spoken and reticent music maestro
spoke about his recent projects and his plans for the future.
What kind of research was involved in creating the music for Jodhaa Akbar,
Elizabeth and Lord of the Rings, which all belong to different eras and genres?
The process began with discussions with the directors, who gave me various
references to use in the music. Working with great teams who took care of the
details made my job easier on these projects. For the Jodhaa Akbar title
number, I took words from old books and references to construct the song. But
the fact is that when you have a great melody it always fits in because the
emotions are universal and beyond any period or situation. So, if you have a
melody that appeals to everyone you can get away with it.
Your compositions are complex and layered. How long does it typically take you
to create a number? And is it true that you work mostly at night?
It varies. Sometimes it takes just three minutes to create a song. I like to
work at night because it gives me a sense of
peace. But I am composing all the time.
With international projects, your music conservatory and your own label, will
you still do Bollywood films?
Movies provide great exposure and the success of my Bollywood music gives me
the power to do other things. I do not want to lose that, but I will only take
on films that excite me. My forthcoming films include Ghajini, Delhi 6, Yuvraj,
Adaa and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.
What is the aim of the A.R. Rahman Foundation?
We want to help eradicate hunger and poverty by providing the underprivileged
with education and skills to earn a living. But our main aim is to create
bridges between people and to make them understand that there are greater aims
in life than the petty issues that we are fighting over and senseless human
divisions.
Which is your favourite instrument of the many you play?
The best instrument is the voice, which offers many different creative
possibilities.
How do you feel about the many awards you have won?
Recognition for my work is like a blessing, but it is not my ultimate goal. I
will feel fulfilled if my songs influence
people and change their lives for the better.
Why do you often trust your complex compositions to new singers?
I constantly want to give something new and using new voices is like an
energiser for my audience and me. I believe that every talented singer should
be given an opportunity and I always keep my mind and arms open.
Time magazine listed Roja in their top ten all-time best movie soundtracks of
the world and the UK's The Guardian listed your music for Bombay in the 1,000
albums to listen to before you die. If you made such a list, what would be
number one?
I need to think about this.
What is your view of world music?
I like the concept of world music because it breaks through the monopoly of
commercial music and gives an opportunity to extraordinary musicians who do not
sing in mainstream languages. It creates an interest in their cultures and
helps to create bridges between diverse people.
How did it feel to be offered Lord of the Rings? How different was it from
doing film music?
My first reaction was to decline because I knew it would take a lot of time.
But it was a great experience. In a film you can
always make the music work by adding rhythm or a chorus but a stage production
is more challenging because it must work on
stage with live singers. We were constantly improvising till the last show in
Toronto and we added a new number for the
performances in London.
What has been the most satisfying moment in your career so far?
I am never satisfied and always hungry for more.
Why did you refuse Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om?
It was due to a silly reason called publishing rights. At that particular time
I had decided that things should change for
musicians and unfortunately Shah Rukh Khan was the first victim of that
decision. But now people have understood my stand that I want to share the
music rights of my compositions.
What do you hope to achieve through your recently established music
conservatory?
Youngsters today are not interested in playing instruments like the violin or
trumpet and it is vital for the future that we
encourage them to do so. The syllabus I have drawn up will train musicians to
be both classical and electronic musicians, which is necessary today.
The concert
An impressive line-up of singers and musicians will perform along with A.R.
Rahman at his concert on April 18. These include well-known singers Hariharan,
Chitra, Sadhana Sargam, Karthik, BlaaZe, Madhushree, Mohammad Aslam and
percussionist Sivamani as well as upcoming talents Neeti Mohan, Naresh Iyer
(Patshala and Rubaroo), Javed Ali (Jashn-E-Bahara) and Benny Dayal
(Balleilakka from Sivaji).
The stadium has a capacity of over 30,000 people. The massive 80-by-50 foot
stage will be built on three levels and the show is expected to last four
hours. The performers will sing in various languages.
"The main focus of the show is the music. I do not have an official compere
because that takes away time from the music and the back up dancers are only
there to enhance the singing. The number of Hindi and south Indian songs will
depend on the response from the audience, said Rahman, who will be on stage
throughout, playing the keyboard and singing some of his hit songs.
The concert has been organised by Oasis Productions and sponsored by Eastern
Masala.
Did you know?
A.R. Rahman changed his name from A.S. Dileep to Allah Rakha Rahman after
embracing Islam.
He has a degree in Western classical music from Trinity College of Music,
London.
He owns a recording studio in Chennai that is said to be technically the best
in Asia.
He won a national award for his first film Roja in 1992 and has since won three
more national awards besides various other prestigious awards and honours
including the Padmashri.
He composed the music for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams.
Time magazine listed his soundtrack for Roja in their top ten all time best
movie soundtracks of the world and the UK's The Guardian listed his music for
the film Bombay in their 1,000 albums to listen to before you die.
He has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores worldwide putting
him in the world's 25 top-selling recording
artists. He is the only Indian on the list.
Time magazine called him the "Mozart from Madras.
His Bombay Theme from the film Bombay featured in the Nicolas Cage movie Lord
of War and Chaiyya Chaiyya from Dil Se was used in the opening credits of Spike
Lee's film Inside Man starring Denzel Washington.
Proceeds from his single Pray For Me Brother went to charity through the A.R.
Rahman Foundation.
His hit Bollywood films include Rangeela, Taal, Dil Se, Lagaan, Yuva and
Swades.
don't miss it!
When: April 18, 7pm onwards.
Where: Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Tickets: priced at Dh125, Dh175, Dh500 and Dh1,000 are available at the Sharjah
Cricket Stadium box office, Virgin
Megastores, Lulu Hypermarkets and supermarkets, Al Mansour Video, Spinneys,
Choithram, Sindh Punjab and Chappan Bhog outlets
around the UAE.
http://www.gulfnews.com/tabloid/Entertainment/10205073.html
shemil
music1st
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take care
regards
anthony jewelson
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