Topic started by h (@ 210.210.36.37) on Wed Feb 25 04:32:27 EST 2004.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
Birmingham orchestra seeks Rahman's guidance
London, Feb 24 (IANS) The West Midlands town of Birmingham may be best known for its recordings of Mahler and Stravinsky, but the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has now enlisted the help A.R. Rahman to broaden its repertoire.
In a fortnight's time, Rahman will take the baton for two successive nights of themes from the Indian film industry, including many of his own works.
The CBSO, which achieved international status during the tenure of conductor Sir Simon Rattle, is seeking to find new audiences closer to home, by persuading Indian and Pakistani audiences into its Symphony Hall headquarters.
Tickets for the 2,200-seat auditorium are already selling fast among the city's south Asian population and, according to the orchestra's chief executive, Stephen Maddock, the Bollywood nights promise to pull in the largest ever non-white audience for a mainstream British orchestra.
Rahman is best known to western music fans as the composer of "Bombay Dreams", the West End musical.
But to his South Asian followers he is a cult figure who, at the age of 38, has already sold nearly 200 million albums and worked on more than 50 films, including "Lagaan".
He recently agreed to score the stage musical version of "Lord of the Rings", which is due to open next year.
Maddock told the media that the orchestra was setting out to attract non-traditional audiences.
Birmingham expected to have a non-white majority by 2010, making it one of the most multicultural cities in Britain. Yet the CBSO's core following was still largely from middle-class areas of the city.
"We have a responsibility to provide a range of musical activities," he said.
"Our audiences are much less extensively white than you might expect, but it is true to say that right across the world classical music tends to appeal to a predominantly white audience."
The Bollywood initiative forms part of a year long-series of Classic Asia concerts at Symphony Hall.
Rahman took his first rehearsal with the orchestra last week, and said he was nervous at the prospect of his first orchestral engagement on such a scale.
Piali Ray, the Indian dancer and choreographer whose Sampad dance company will perform with CBSO later in the year, praised Birmingham for creating an environment in which community arts could flourish.
Sampad broke new ground with its recent collaboration with the city's Royal Ballet. Birmingham also hosts Samyo, effectively the national youth orchestra for South Asian music.
"There are large sections of the Asian community who are very interested in the arts, but sometimes haven't felt welcomed. Or may be they don't even know there are things that will interest them," she said. "This is really heartening."
The fact that most tickets had already gone showed lessons had been learned on both sides.
http://www.musicindiaonline.com/news/articles/24022004-1.html
Responses:
- From: cho (@ 209.47.143.226)
on: Fri Feb 27 06:45:35 EST 2004
what a topic!
aganga violin-la kambi pinju pocha? ARR fix panni tharuvar :)
- From: adf (@ 61.1.236.136)
on: Fri Feb 27 07:45:00 EST 2004
cho
poda naya
onga appa kitta poi solla da venna mavane
- From: Nattamai (@ 66.36.249.149)
on: Fri Feb 27 11:55:34 EST 2004
>including many of his own works.
what's new? ingeyum intha remix vela thaana.
- From: curses (@ 61.247.248.144)
on: Fri Feb 27 12:04:51 EST 2004
cha cha...
remix-ellam panna maataar. aana onnu.. aluminium anda-la dhuddum vaanga maatar!
- From: Eager (@ 147.188.79.125)
on: Tue Mar 2 06:22:33 EST 2004
I'm actually going to the second concert this Saturday!!!!! You can imagine how thrilled I am!!!!!
- From: geeth (@ 62.215.3.38)
on: Tue Mar 2 08:11:10 EST 2004
are there any plans of releasing a CD of this concert ?
- From: Eager (@ 147.188.79.23)
on: Mon Mar 8 05:41:34 EST 2004
Well folks...
I actually went to the concert on Saturday. It was really good. It was the second concert. Most of the conducting was done by James Sherman, with ARR just sitting on the stage and being interviewed. He did sing the song "Dil se re..." from Dil Se, and he conducted pieces of music from Bombay, The Warriors of Heaven and Earth, and another one. On the whole, it was a good show. But, as I was sitting at the Grand Tier, which must have been over 50 feet above the stage, I couldn't actually see any of the performers' faces. Nevertheless, since this was the first time I actually watched a live performance of orchestral scores, I definitely felt it was a concert to remember, as they promised it would be.
- From: Maverick (@ 12.20.58.68)
on: Tue Mar 9 10:39:27 EST 2004
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2004/mar/08rahman.htm
Rahman concert is a superhit in UK
Shyam Bhatia in London | March 08, 2004 15:44 IST
The gasps that greeted composer A R Rahman when he took the baton to conduct the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), were not just directed at his musical abilities.
Of equal interest to the audience that packed the 2,200-seat auditorium in Birmingham city centre was what appeared to be the 38-year-old Rahman's decision to adopt a punk hairdo. After the two concerts last Friday and Saturday, Rahman explained to friends that his shorn locks were in preparation for his recently concluded pilgrimage to Mecca.
Rahman's appearance at Symphony Hall headquarters in Birmingham is believed to have pulled in what is believed to be the largest ever non-white audience for a mainstream British orchestra. Delighted orchestra executives say the demand for seats was so high, they could have sold three times as many seats as they did.
Audience reactions to Rahman's music, however, were more mixed. Although the orchestra played music from some of Rahman's better known compositions, including Bombay Dreams, Lagaan and the upcoming Meenaxi, other selections from Columbia Pictures' Chinese film, Warriors Of Heaven And Earth, were less familiar to overseas Indians' ears.
This week Rahman is in Pargue to record more music for Warriors Of Heaven And Earth with the Czech Film Orchestra before going to New York, where he will rehearse a fresh selection of songs for Bombay Dreams.
- From: was it a hit??? (@ 195.93.32.11)
on: Tue Mar 9 16:18:45 EST 2004
well , i was there on the first day with my wife,
the audience were mostly asians,including lots of oldies.
most of the crowd would have expected typical arr songs but much to the disappointment of most and to my wife it had a very western classic touch.
the concert started with the theme song of bombay dreams, followed pieces from warriors.. (4 ),meenakshi (2songs),lagaan(so westernised that couldnt even recognise),bombay theme music (sigh of relief from audience)and few others which i couldnt recognise, plus he also sang a verse from dilse re.
he was also interviewed after every song which after some became very irritating as most of the crowd came there to listn to his songs.
he was bald after shaving his head after haj trip,
.he could do with some training in public speaking..he was awkard,spontaneous, mumbly, funny at times.he even said in the beginning that hes surprised that its a sold out concert as no one knew what he was going to play.
one during the show he was conducting the orchestra, and the song has to be stopped and restarted as he was not good at it(as he himself apolegetically said "this is what happens if i do it for the first time without any practise")
birmingham symphony orchestra (atleast 70 of them ) were great and ofcourse the stuff they played sounded great thanx to rehman, but whether the audience came for that kind of music is anyones guess.
during the question time he was asked about his future plans with indian movies..in his own words he said "i cant be in madras, bombay, london newyork,therefore after finishing maniratnam and another movie,he has no immediate plans now.he is going to conduct few more orchestra making new music(not a rehash like this) mostly by nov 2004 there will be another concert.
his next big venture is making music for lord of the rings.. some thing all of us should definetly should be proud of.
ofcourse there was lots of talk about god and how it infleunces his music etc..
came out feeling mixed feelings,on one hand one of the best orchestra(completely white crew) in uk is playing the music of a south indian guy for a packed audience, on the other hand dissappointed that none of the songs were familiar and sounding nothing like indian music.not even one indian instrument, as my wife said she might as well go to western music concert and get bored there.
they played only 10 numbers repeating bombay piece twice and a piece from warriors.. 3 times.
- From: Chinna Nattamai (@ 198.232.250.51)
on: Tue Mar 9 17:28:21 EST 2004
"i cant be in madras, bombay, london newyork,therefore after finishing maniratnam and another movie,he has no immediate plans now".
This guy is really smart. He acts as if there are 100s of directors/producers waiting in line to sign him. Truth is that nobody from TF wants to sign him anymore except Mani after seeing his performance in the last four years. He tries to hide "muzhu poosanikai" in rice. We can't blame him, people are too happy to get deceived.
- From: thiru (@ 210.214.131.13)
on: Tue Mar 9 18:48:48 EST 2004
when TFM producers can sign IR after hundreds of flops there will be producers to sign ARR even if he tries to hide poosanikai or any kai.
And you are not smart, you prove you have no Newspapers in your country.
- From: thiru (@ 210.214.131.13)
on: Tue Mar 9 18:49:22 EST 2004
when TFM producers can sign IR after hundreds of flops there will be producers to sign ARR even if he tries to hide poosanikai or any kai.
And you are not smart, you prove you have no Newspapers in your country.
- From: paran (@ 203.123.16.163)
on: Tue Mar 9 21:52:20 EST 2004
"madras, bombay, london newyork" since when all of this city based in TF area?
dei pusanikka mundum...
madras - Next Mani movie, probably next Shankar movie, Rajiv Menon movie,
Bombay - the list is too long brader
London - BD dreams still running remember ..started in Oct 2002...can u count?..please ask ur neighbours to join in the counting as well
New York...it is beginning my friend...
dunno why...when IR were hot in TN, Andra, and Kerala..u ppl were so happy he is going places...
now when ARR does that...u ppl claim he is lying...
whatever it is..ARR missed China, Prague out of the list
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