AM - Friday, 16 September , 2005 08:24:00
Reporter: Karen Barlow
TONY EASTLEY: A megastar of music, adored by millions, has managed to
slip into the country virtually unnoticed. Indian composer and
musician A.R. Rahman has among his fans Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baz
Lurhmann, Cate Blanchett and of course millions of fellow Indians.
He's composed the music for scores of albums and Bollywood films, and
is gearing up for what may be a very controversial project, a stage
musical production of Lord of The Rings.
A R Rahman, who was born a Hindu but who converted to Islam, is in
Australia for stadium concerts in Melbourne and Sydney, which are
already sold out.
AM's Karen Barlow reports.
(Sound of Rahman's music)
KAREN BARLOW: A classically trained musician from the India's Tamil
south, A.R. Rahman, started his career writing advertising jingles.
India's prolific and vibrant Bollywood film industry took notice, and
since 1992 he's been in demand as a film scorer and artist. Rahman is
known for melding traditional Indian music with western ideas and
modern instruments.
(Sound of Rahman's music)
A R RAHMAN: When I got my first break I thought I don't want to do the
same thing, which other people are doing here. I want our music to go
around the world, being appreciated by all people around the globe
rather than just being the (inaudible) of Indian, Asian people.
So that made me take efforts to do little changes, changing the beats
or whatever and getting harmonies and chord progressions and stuff
like that, you know, with traditional Indian melodies. And I think
something, some magic happened.
(Sound of Rahman's music)
A R RAHMAN: I do appreciate every kind of music and sometimes it comes
in naturally rather than intentionally.
(Sound of Rahman's music)
KAREN BARLOW: A R Rahman's joyful melodies and rhythms have won over
millions of people, including Sydney's Vandana Ram, who's grown up
with traditional Indian music.
VANDANA RAM: It is an experience of discovery, because you feel like
you're starting off somewhere, it's often really slow and then it
builds up and you go on a little journey with it.
There's often really strong percussion, so there's a fantastic sort of
build up and climax, it's a whole experience. Yeah, I just find it
leaves me� it's just fulfilling.
KAREN BARLOW: While Bollywood is starting to be mass-marketed to
western audiences, Vandana Ram says A.R. Rahman is in a class of his
own. Rahman says Bollywood compliments his work, but he's starting to
reach out to a wider audience.
Andrew Lloyd Webber got him to do the music for his Broadway
production, Bombay Dreams, three years ago.
Now he's working with Finnish folk musicians on the score for a Lord
of the Rings stage musical, which is set to open in Toronto early next
year.
(To A.R. Rahman) Well, tell me about that, because it's really hard to
imagine The Lord of the Rings as a musical. I mean, how are you
approaching this?
A R RAHMAN: It's a� they don't want to call this a musical,
because
there's so much music in it, probably two times more music in it than
other musical shows, but it's done in a way where it's not the
typical� ok, now, you're going to hear a song.
KAREN PERCY: It's not Disney?
A R RAHMAN: No.
KAREN PERCY: Oh, that's good. Because I suppose there are a lot of
fans of The Lord of the Rings, even before the movies came out, and
they'll be very particular about this.
A R RAHMAN: Very true. And I think some of them will definitely be
more happy than with the films, when they see the show.
KAREN PERCY: Really? That's a big call.
A R RAHMAN: Yeah. We are hoping that.
(Sound of Rahman's music)
TONY EASTLEY: Indian composer and musician, A.R. Rahman ending that
report from Karen Barlow