The interview which appears below, was originally published on Jetwings in January 2008. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.
The Lord of the Rings is now on stage! The play, now showing at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, has received rave reviews for its music. Jet Airways has sponsored the album of the musical, featuring the voices of the 52-strong cast. Our very own A.R. Rahman, one of the composers of the extravaganza, gets candid with Jetwings about the experience.
How was the experience of working on The Lord of the Rings (LOTR)?
Initially, I was surprised that they called me, but then I realized that I had worked with the music supervisor, Christopher Nightingale, on Bombay Dreams and he had recommended my name to them. I was kicked about the offer, but was not sure if I could give the time. But when it started, I realized it was like nothing else that I had done before.
In Bombay Dreams, for instance, we took a few of my hit numbers and made a musical out of them. In this case, there was a book, which was a hit and then it was to be made into a stage production.
How different was it to compose for LOTR as compared to composing for films?
When I started my career, my music was complex, but then I learned to take that little step sideways, consciously keeping aside musical stunts to bring in simplicity into my music. But here, I realized I had to go completely and deeply into the song. And there was no end to making it perfect.
When you write a tune for a film, you are satisfied, the whole team is satisfied and then you finalize it. But here, in four years the same song would have changed around ten times. And then we had to adapt to the performance, the performer, the speed of the play, the length of it… it is a very complex process.
How did you hit upon a concept for the music of Middle-earth?
The idea was not to have anything that is very common. Not like a run-of-the-mill ‘musical’. The idea was to find a sound that is Indian but doesn’t scream out, My co-composers, the Finnish band Värttinä and I started working on it. Our main brief was to not copy any of the tracks from the movie, to be completely different.
We worked separately and together until finally, we reached a point where all the melodies were interwoven. As such the play revolves around the characters and the story, and the music is not at the forefront of the piece. It is an important part, but it takes a back seat. The book is the hero of the play.
You are a very spiritual person and LOTR is a play that talks about war and hatred. How did you draw these emotions out of yourself?
Good question. Well, the basic theme—the Ring theme—was based on a cyclic tune. Now, the whole last battle scene also has that tune playing in the background. So basically there are two versions, the soft, theme version and the one for the battle.
The first has a soothing, lilting feel to it but you make it big and loud and it becomes war material. But yes, there was a conflict in me when I first took this project up. I wondered how I was going to be able to work on a dark theme while I have always believed in ‘Roobaroo Roshni’ (face to face with The Light)! (laughs) But I did not do most of the dark stuff, so it was good.
Many a time, after the first few shows of a play, actors and directors like to rework little bits of their performance, to fine-tune it. As a composer, did you also feel the same way after a few shows?
Actually, I think we all worked to about 300 percent of what was required of us, so that thought did not occur. We were just relieved that it was working and excited to see the extraordinary feedback. Many of my friends didn’t know that I had composed the music for this play. They went to watch it and came back gushing about how wonderful the music is. When I told them that I did it, they were left utterly surprised. (laughs)
Do you watch plays otherwise? I mean, apart from the ones you have composed for?
Yes. Not too many, but I do. The last one which I watched and liked a lot was by the Blue Man Group and I watched Beauty and the Beast. Closer home, I used to love Manohar’s Tamil plays. The last play I watched of his was Mahabharatil Managato. That was 20 years ago.
Do you think you would want to compose for Indian plays in the future?
Well if I have to do a musical here, I would want to go one step up from Bombay Dreams and LOTR. That should be the idea. Abroad, when you have an extraordinary play or a musical in a city, it becomes a landmark for the city itself. People visit the city especially to watch it.
A lot of people go to London to watch The Phantom of the Opera or Mamma Mia! or Mousetrap. It’s almost like going to look at the Buckingham Palace! And now it is LOTR. People from France and Germany book six months in advance to go and watch the play. This is one thing that is lacking in our country. We have a strong tradition of theatre and music. But we have to think bigger, take things further, experiment a little, and make a statement. That’s the way I think we should do it. And we can, what with so many people interested in art and willing to put in money.
So you are saying if something like this happens, you would like to be a part of it?
I would love to! If someone does it in a way that challenges the boundaries, challenges West End or Broadway, yes, I am ready for that.
How often do you get to travel?
Not much, apart from when I go out for shows. We take short family holidays once in a while. Apart from that, four years ago I visited Konya in Turkey for the Urs of Jalaluddin Rumi. That was beautiful, it was completely covered in snow. Ladakh, where I had gone to research for Dil Se is another place that left a mark on me.
First Tamil films, then Hindi, and now Broadway and West End. Where are you headed from here?
Well, I have started my label. This means that I have the freedom to do my stuff, putting in my own money. So, that’s a big thing. I had never thought about it. And it feels liberating to think that nobody can commission me, I am commissioning myself. But there is no excuse if I mess up! (laughs)
What do you feel about Jet Airways’ sponsorship of The Lord of the Rings album?
I thank Jet Airways for doing this favor and supporting art. A special thanks to Javed Akhtar and Shah Rukh Khan for putting in a word to Mr Naresh Goyal. It wouldn’t have been the same if Jet Airways hadn’t sponsored this album. It is such a huge undertaking.
It is a combination of so many people and so many different styles, and we were excited to do this. We got the best orchestra and the best studios in London to record the music. So I think all those who love music and want to listen to some exciting stuff should get their hands on this album.
