Home   Forum   Wiki   Notes   Register   FAQ   Sitemap   About Us   Contact Us  

Rahman the conductor was a letdown!

Topic started by lk (@ 210.210.36.54) on Sat Apr 24 10:07:58 EDT 2004.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Karthikeyan Nagarajan | April 24, 2004 11:12 IST
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2004/apr/24rahman.htm

When I heard that the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra had asked A R Rahman to conduct two live concerts in March this year, I was very happy and proud as an Indian and a Tamilian.

Earlier, I had felt proud in 1993 when Ilayaraja had recorded his first classical orchestral work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London. I was executive producer of that project.

It was Ilayaraja's first full-fledged classical work and it was recorded under the baton of John Scott. Unfortunately, Ilayaraja has still not released that work.

Hence to know that another composer from our midst has come to the world music arena was thrilling news. Rarely do musicians from our part of the world get such an opportunity.

But it was a big fiasco.

Rahman's popular film songs were converted into orchestral scores to be played by a classical symphony orchestra. They proved to be pale shadows of his original songs. And the predominantly Indian crowd did not appreciate them much.

It was obvious that not much thought had gone into the score. The objective should have been to retain the original melodic flavour suited to a symphony orchestra without electronic instruments and vocals.

Greater disappointment was his total non-preparation for conducting on stage. I consider that highly irresponsible. If Rahman thought conducting a symphony orchestra in concert was similar to a studio session, the people who risked allowing him to do it should be blamed.

I am surprised he has not fully understood the importance of the role of a conductor in a classical symphony orchestra.

Conducting is one of the most important aspects in a classical orchestra's live performance. People like Zubin Mehta have not become legends for nothing. Zubin is one of those rare talents who will conduct even the most difficult and complex symphonies like Mahler's 8th Symphony -- called the Symphony of a Thousand because Mahler's original debut concert required nearly 1,000 performers-musicians and choral groups -- without once referring to the score. Every bar of music is conducted from his memory, with total control and confidence of the orchestra.

As someone who has spent a lot of time on the UK music circuit over the last few years, I assumed Rahman would have done his homework and prepared the music as well as for his new role as conductor of a live concert, that too with a top-notch orchestra like the CBSO.

Rahman should have reminded himself that he was going to wield the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, who became CBSO conductor at 25 (in 1980) and made it one of the best orchestras in the world.

As a BBC reviewer wrote, "I cannot help feeling cheated by the concert. Though the orchestra were highly organised, Rahman seemed slightly uninterested to be there. Audience reactions were also mixed. The audiences were given opportunity to ask him questions to which he often replied with one-word answers. Rahman did conduct the orchestra for a short period, but later sat back with the audience and watched another conduct his music."

As with anywhere else in the West, most orchestras are going through a difficult time with dwindling concert attendances and slow music sales. Add to this the problem of population remix among local patrons.

By 2020, for example, Birmingham is tipped to become the first black majority city in UK. Now, its population is a mix of Asians, Africans and Chinese apart from the native whites.

Hence, orchestras are ready to try anything to bring people into the concert halls. And collaborations with musicians from Asia, titled Classic Asia, are part of the mission.

For the 84 year-old CBSO, it must have been a momentous, difficult decision. They took it because their survival depends on their ability to chart new paths.

With his exposure to the UK music industry through his collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber, it was not a surprise that Rahman got the project.

But his botching it up is.

I believe Rahman has not been able to transcend the barrier where his own singing and others are vital for his musical pieces. Obviously, there is an inability to compose music free of the composer/performer. He seems to have attempted something for which he is not yet ready intellectually.

In the end it was totally disappointing.

Rahman's confession -- "I messed it up. Will come next time with much more preparation" -- does not redeem him at all.

Karthikeyan Nagarajan is a Chennai-based software technologist.

---

Responses:

• From: MADDY (@ 203.94.234.81) on: Sat Apr 24 11:03:00 EDT 2004
  
  well it is a micrometer-sized mark on illustrious ARR career....that's my comment if ur seriously concerned with ARR's failure...if u r one of those cheap IR fans getting happy with ARR's failure then MY MIDDLE FINGER SALUTE TO U SIR........
  
  
• From: piratheepan (@ 67.67.90.227) on: Sat Apr 24 11:12:32 EDT 2004
  
  wow one mistake br ARR on one of his few attempts if not his only attempt at conducting.seeing how he isnt a conductor this realli doesnt mean n e thing.
  
  
• From: Gyan (@ 4.158.114.70) on: Sat Apr 24 11:27:58 EDT 2004
  
  This is not surprising outcome. Because Rahman is used to working in the studio alone and can only relate to software mixing. He has been a key board player and so is an indiviudalist. Unlike a violin of guitar player that needs to coordinate constantly with orchestra. That is how pre-Rahman composers excelled and also were inspired to give great compositions. Rahman' nocturnal composing style and having a mahcine for an orchestra is a good strategy for composing poetry, not for music. Music u need inspiration and orchestra is a great driver of inspiration. This is good it happened early for ARR, hopefully he learns to work as a normal composer in a studio with lots of people.
  
  Besides, i wonder if CBSO were really inspired by Rahman' music. first of all, it was arranged by a NRI, not by CBSO itself!!!!!!
  
  
• From: kumar (@ 157.95.211.50) on: Sat Apr 24 12:41:49 EDT 2004
  
  Maddy and piratheepan
  
  The author is not suggesting incapability on part of Rahman. He thinks adequate rehearsal and effort should have been put in before attempting the Symphony. You must be aware that these orchestras are expensive and also very reputed. They deserve their due respect.
  What the author is saying is had Rahman practised enough, it would have been a definite success. I agree on that
  
  
• From: OISG (@ 195.229.241.170) on: Sat Apr 24 13:07:58 EDT 2004
  
  Feels proud of an unreleased work which is very unlikely to see the light of the day.He has gathered enough negative comments to substantiate his "brain-storming review".
  
  Another one of those frustrated lot.
  
  
• From: piratheepan (@ 67.67.90.227) on: Sat Apr 24 13:37:02 EDT 2004
  
  what is left out of the article is how rahman wasnt even going to conduct anything but on insistance of the fans who were there he did
  
  
• From: MADDY (@ 203.94.236.178) on: Sat Apr 24 14:22:58 EDT 2004
  
  did u guys notice that Karthikeyan nagarajan has shamelessly confessed that he was the executive producer of IR's symphony misadventure and still had the guts to review ARR's conduction.....WAT A JOKE.......THERE'S NO CREDIT TO COMMENTS ON ARR BY IR AND PPL. CLOSE TO THEM.......NO WAY...THIS IS NONSENSE.......
  
  
• From: Venki (@ 63.13.185.99) on: Sat Apr 24 14:56:16 EDT 2004
  
  Guys,
  Check out this link. The same wordings of Karthikeyan Nagarajan but by another review Deepika Bharadwa. Which one is true!
  
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/music/2004/03/rahman_review.shtml
  
  
• From: SK (@ 66.57.14.197) on: Sat Apr 24 16:15:45 EDT 2004
  
  Both say the same things to me!! here it is!
  
  " I cannot help feeling cheated by the concert. Don't get me wrong, I arrived excited in anticipation over this new experimentation A.R. had promised, but though the orchestra were highly organised and played most wonderfully, evoking passion for the music I am proud of, A. R. Rahman seemed slightly uninterested to be there.
  
  Audience reactions to Rahman's music, were also mixed. Although the orchestra played music from some of Rahman's better known compositions, including Bombay Dreams, Bombay and the upcoming Meenaxi - other selections from Columbia Pictures' Chinese film, Warriors Of Heaven And Earth, were less familiar to overseas Indians' ears.
  
  A man of few words...
  
  
  A.R Rahman
  We were also given the opportunity, as an audience, to ask him questions to which he often replied one-worded answers and yet I continued to hope that towards the second session, his enthusiasm would change. It didn't!
  
  A.R Rahman did conduct the orchestra for a short period of time at least, but it wasn't long before he sat back with the audience and watched another conduct his music. Maybe he preferred it this way, but it was noticeable how the audience began to grow impatient.
  
  When you gonna sing?..
  
  One member of the audience shouted from the higher tiers of the arena: 'When you gonna sing?!'. Though I knew that this concert was not intending to be the same as any other concert he had preformed back in India, I too, felt that the concert was lacking something.
  
  Despite Bombay Dreams gaining Rahman international success, I couldn't help feel that it was just too soon for him to be so experimental. Most of the audience came from around Birmingham and Leicester, but there were also some true Bombayites in their presence who also wished for him to sing at least a snippet of his music. It was like Michael Jackson singing but not dancing.
  
  Rahman is a gifted composer and singer/song writer and has created music that crosses many cultural borders and barriers, but, personally, when performing, I felt his own singing and others was vital for his musical pieces. The two go together in a neat package that would have fascinated and engrossed his audience and the concert did not incorporate this, instead it tried to distinguish itself from it."
  
  Guys, dont gey me wrong and jump on me!
  Both of them are saying that it is too soon and ARR was uninterested.
  
  Practice makes one perfect. It is clearly evident that for reasons unknown to us, he was NOT READY!!
  That doesn't belittle his contribution to TFM. But, that is another story altogether.
  Let's face the facts and BRAVELY too!!
  uNmai sudum!!
  
  
  
• From: kavin (@ 195.92.168.170) on: Sat Apr 24 20:39:48 EDT 2004
  
  i had the opportunity to attend the concert twice. returned with mixed opinions. I liked the pieces from warriors of heaven and earth.
  
  
  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-552514,prtpage-1.cms
  
  http://www.veenamagazine.co.uk/a1mar4.html
  
  http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/03/22/stories/2004032201240200.htm
  
  
  

---

List all pages of this thread

Post comments