SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Alchemy - The Music Of A. R. Rahman: Alma Ferovic, Michael Rouse (vocalists); Gauri Sharma Tripathi (dancer/choreographer); Naveen Kumar (flute); Asad Khan (sitar); Eddie Hession (accordion); Metro Voices; London Philharmonic Orchestra/Matt Dunkley. Royal Festival Hall, London 7.4.2010 (CC)


This was a spectacular event. At the very outset of the concert, girls in traditional costume danced in the aisles of the RFH, holding candles with flickered magically. This was a concert that presented music from twelve films and one musical that were scored by Rahman. If having the focus on one composer led to an event that was not quite as successful as the Proms’ event last year, Rahman’s evening nevertheless remains impressive.

In the West, A. R. Rahman (Allah Rakha Rahman) is known for his score to Slumdog Millionaire. But there are plenty of other soundtracks. He started in film music in the 1990s, initially on Roja (“The Rose”). In 2000, Andrew Lloyd Webber invited Rahman to compose music for the musical Bombay Dreams (the first time Webber produced a musical he did not actually compose). Music from the musical Lord of the Rings provided the evening’s finale.

Personally, on screen, I have enjoyed the 1999 Padayappa, which contains some jubilant music. His Kandukondain Kandukondain is a Tamil version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Neither of these films featured here.

The first music we heard in the South Bank extravaganza was music from Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007, co-composed with Craig Armstrong and starring Cate Blanchett). The opening section, “Divinity Theme”, invoked the music of Arvo Pärt in its use of solo violin over static strings. There was a monumentalism here that fitted the subject matter. Against a backdrop of red lighting, an Indian bass flute left us in no doubt of the music geography here; the ensuing “battle” scene had more than a touch of Alexander Nevsky about it. This was weaker, musically speaking; effects-driven (Rahman could have picked up a thing or two from Strauss’ Heldenleben). Fascinating to hear a choral soloist from Metro Voices in the final section, “Mary’s beheading”.

Rahman’s way with tunes is remarkable. He is known as the “Mozart of Madras”, a nickname presumably given because of the seeming ease of production. His tunes do indeed have a feeling of rightness about them, as if they spring from an eternal source that will never dry up. He can call on a huge variety of expressive devices if he so chooses. Some parts of Elizabeth even tended towards the modernist, while parts of Warriors of Heaven and Earth (a Chinese movie!) sounded decidedly English-pastoral. Rahman’s penchant for wordless chorus became evident here (it was to be a recurring theme), as did the fact that he could be remarkably heart-on-sleeve mushy (the final section, “Goodbye”).

The music for Couples Retreat (a Hollywood romantic comedy) featured a wordless solo for Alma Ferovic, the Bosnian folk singer. The music for this was light-hearted and warm, in stark contrast to that of Roja (“The Rose”, 1992), which was dark and imaginatively scored. Slumdog Millionaire it was that took us to the interval. Sitar and flute, both exquisitely played (particularly the virtuoso sitar break) were the highlights here.

Solo dance enlivened the excerpt from Bombay (part of a trilogy that also included Roja), thanks to the exquisite movements of Gauri Sharma Tripathi. Her performance stood on the cusp between mime and dance. Wonderful. Rahman set French next for the choral parts of the music from the short film Passage. It sounded like Rahman’s homage to Fauré. Baroque elements acted as contrast in the music to Subhash Bose: The Forgotten Hero (although another part of the programme refers to him as “The Last Hero” – the booklet note was rather confused anyway, not reflecting the order of performance). Some quite progressive, icy writing marked this score; the love music was markedly expansive, though.

The music for Meenaxi: Tale of Three Cities (the cities in question being Hyderabad, Jaisalmer and Prague) was perhaps less memorable, as was Langaan, despite Naveen Kumar’s excellence. Big dramatic strokes and gestures culled from The Omen left a less than positive impression.

The concert finished with music from the musicals – Lord of the Rings, specifically. Here, Ferovic was joined by Michael Rouse, the latter a singer with impeccable credentials from the world of the musical. Rahman changed his musical vocabulary appropriately. Nice if you like that sort of thing.

Perhaps this was too much of a good thing, too much film music by one composer who does not have sufficient variety and whose penchant for effect can be wearing after prolonged exposure. Nevertheless, much to enjoy.

Colin Clarke