AR Rahman & Firdaus Orchestra — A Grand Musical Celebration
If the East had a soundtrack for space endeavours, would it sound it like this??
Everyone needs a little(or large) orchestra in their lives. How often can one listen to rock songs and film music anyway?
AR Rahman has spent close to two years in building up Firdaus Orchestra, an all women orchestra of 50 musicians from 23 countries playing 22 instruments. The group kicked off with a grand performance at the ongoing Dubai Expo 2020, with the first concert(in a series of six, over next five months) held on 23rd Oct.
The orchestra, like all ARR projects, evolved dynamically, in terms of musical styles, instruments, influences, and where they go from here. Combining classical concert elements(strings, woodwinds like Oboe, Flutes, Violin and Brass) with traditional Arabic instruments like Qanun, Buzuk, Oud, and a fresh new component of a Hindustani Classical ensemble, the Firdaus Orchestra is musical ambition at its purest.
The Inception
As stated by ARR, the idea started 2 years ago, followed by extensive auditions for selection of strings, woodwinds, brass from European countries.
The Concert
The one-hour performance includes “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey”, as well as music from “Star Wars” and “E.T. — Adventures on Earth”. It will also feature Karl Jenkins’ “Palladio”, Beethoven’s “Symphony №5”, and a grand finale performance by A.R. Rahman who will present an exclusive new composition, “Humanitas-Proorismós-Al Amal” — an ode by the composer to explorers of space. ‘Al Amal’ is the Arabic word for ‘Hope’, which, fortuitously, is also the name of the first Arab mission to Mars.
Traditional Arabic instruments- Qanun, Buzuk, Oud , Western- Oboe, Flute, Violin
I liked the performance which seamlessly blends legendary pieces with refreshing instrumentation(like Mozart(Turkish March) rendered on Qanun) and homages and also keeps it entertaining with more popular pieces like Star Wars themes.
Humanitas-Proorismós-Al Amal- AR Rahman & Firdaus Orchestra
Oud notes that open reminded me of Le Trio Joubran and their work in Muhammad. This also starts the composition on an open-ended note, there is a hint of poise through the backing strings. I like the depth at play here, and the unhurriedness.
A violin section enters with slight cues on piano from ARR, after which the string section becomes grander exposing more colors of the melody. I love how supple the arrangements are, rich and vivid. The signature ARR cello element makes an entry before the piece goes into silence, only to be reinstated with a piano cue, evoking images of a launch(space vehicle). This could well be the background score of any Hollywood space opera films(Gravity, Interstellar and likes). There is an interesting synth(ARR on Korg Wavestate, and Komplete Kontrol A25) element evoking the unknown, the alien. We feel like we have entered newer horizons.
A woodwind strikes a somber still note. The strings comes in again at a poignant pause and this is where the Hindustani ensemble kicks in, on a rather pensive mood. The tension is beautifully woven by a richer string section.
It is startling how this composition manages so many elements in one unified piece. At first, I was a little uneasy with the ensemble, but surprise surprise, it grew on subsequent listens.
From here on it is a melodic interplay between string sections, an intriguing woodwind and harp overlap and the ensemble which with its harkats blends beautifully with the piano and the now evolved strings melody.
Humanitas is ARR not only attempting a grand orchestra piece at a global scale, but also trying to experiment within its traditional format, and excelling in most places. It did not fully satisfy me, but it has been just 10 days…
The Team
Conductor- Yasmina Sabbah
Singer- Mayssa Karaa
Hindustani Ensemble
Hindustani Classical vocalists include familiar names in ARR repertoire -
Murtuza Khan & Faiz Mustafa Khan(father and son, from Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan’s family)
Sarthak Kalyani
Swagat Rathod
Sudeep Jaipurwale
Sumeet Anand Pandey
Saptak Chatterjee
Niloy Ahsan
Ghulam Hassan Khan(son of Ustad Ghulam Abbas Khan)
Humanitas-Proorismós-Al Amal. “TO KNOW THE UNKOWN, IS THE QUEST OF LIFE BY EXPLORING SPACE, WE EXPLORE OURSELVES”
In India, it is not the rich musical heritage but exposure is dying. From an old feature at the time of Harmony’s release.
On the internet, it is all about the number of views one has managed to garner, but Rahman says it is “gross” to judge something like that. “(Though) It does influence what you are doing. We wanted this series to be intriguing, interesting and not boring as these are instruments that are off the radar and we are bringing them to the fore. There is purity, honesty, there is a legacy that we intend to bring,” he said.
“They have a pre-set legacy and we just had to take it and make it shine. It is like storytelling, like a movie, you go and see their lives, each fascinating in their own way. And there was no one telling ‘Ah, this song did not work.’ So, you have that artistic freedom,” he added.
While you are here, you may want to check out my other writings on AR Rahman, and my book here.
