RAFI RESURRECTED – A TRIBUTE TO MOHD. RAFI
Famous Bollywood singer Sonu Niigaam to perform iconic Mohd.Rafi’s greatest hits with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with Saregama plc in Birmingham, Manchester & London
Spectacular Light & Sound Effects employed to enhance the audience’s experience. “Special Double Album, 20 track CD” titled ‘Rafi Resurrected’ to commemorate the occasion, releasing on 17th June 2008.
Music Video of ‘Kya Hua Tera Vada’ from ‘Rafi Resurrected- album’ to be aired on major TV channels from 21st June 2008.
Saregama’ PLC, one of the world’s oldest established recording companies, whose archives date back to 1901, are embarking upon a momentous festival of concerts celebrating one of India’s most famous and respected singers, the late Mohd.Rafi (1924-1980).
Mohd.Rafi scaled the height of popularity during his tenure as a singer within Indian Film Music and became the name and voice many an aspirant wished to emulate. His voice traversed a diverse range from rock n roll to romantic ballads and from classically inspired numbers to religious hymns.
Rafi was a colossus but his unassuming manner endeared him to not only his fans but also to the industry’s music and cinema hierarchy. In a career that spanned some 35 years, the name of Saregama’ PLC, one of the world’s oldest established recording companies, whose archives date back to 1901, are embarking upon a momentous festival of concerts celebrating one of India’s most famous and respected singers, the late Mohd.Rafi (1924-1980).
Mohd.Rafi scaled the height of popularity during his tenure as a singer within Indian Film Music and became the name and voice many an aspirant wished to emulate. His voice traversed a diverse range from rock n roll to romantic ballads and from classically inspired numbers to religious hymns.
Rafi was a colossus but his unassuming manner endeared him to not only his fans but also to the industry’s music and cinema hierarchy. In a career that spanned some 35 years, the name of Rafi became synonymous with the best musical output fromBombay (now known as Mumbai). 28 years have passed since his death on July 31st 1980 and Mohd.Rafi’s name lives on as India’s greatest male singer.
Saregama PLC possesses the largest portfolio of Mohd.Rafi’s vast repertoire, some 5,000 songs, and over the past 2 years, have invested into a unique concept of merging together leading ‘Bollywood’ singer Sonu Niigaam (a confirmed Rafi devotee) with one of the world’s leading symphonic ensembles, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).
The merger will feature 18 of Rafi’s best loved songs in a series of concerts across England this summer, combined with the release of a special edition double CD album, which will feature 16 immensely popular vocal tracks plus 4 instrumentals.
This ‘Collector’s Edition’ CD, is to be lavishly highlighted with rare photographs of Mohd.Rafi as well as synopses and bio-data of the main protagonists in booklet form.
The Western perspective of musical arrangements and compositional styles are somewhat different to that of India, therefore the CBSO were presented with a unique challenge of replicating the musical orchestration of Mohd.Rafi’s hit songs.
The result is one to truly behold and cherish as the CBSO, under the guidance of Artistic Producer Tim Pottier and Conductor Michael Seal, after months of dedicated labour, offer a blend of music that sounds pleasingly familiar to the connoisseur and refreshingly melodic to the novice.
OFFICIAL LAUNCH – NEHRU CENTRE, MAYFAIR, LONDONOn Tuesday17 June 2008, Mr.Amarpal Singh Gaind, Head of Operations (Saregama -Europe), Tim Pottier (Artistic Producer) along with Rizvan Rafi (eldest grandson of Mohd.Rafi) and various prominent dignitaries will launch the CD of this unique album titled ‘Rafi Resurrected’ at a special press conference to be held at the Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London, W1K 1HF at 6.30pm.
MUSIC VIDEOAlso being revealed for the first time on the 17th June is a Music Video of the 75 strong CBSO shot in HD by the Birmingham based Blue Hippo Media Production Company. Sonu Niigaam’s portions for the music video have been filmed in India and the final version of the complete video will be aired across all major TV channels across the UK from 21st June.
CONCERT TOUR
A national tour with celebrated Indian singing sensation Sonu Niigaam will follow in July, featuring three of the UK's most exclusive live performance venues: the acoustically perfect Symphony Hall Birmingham(15th July); Manchester's legendary rock venue the Apollo Theatre(17th July); and the architecturally stunning London Coliseum(20th July), home of the English National Opera and London's biggest stage.
Sony TV will be telecasting the London concert to its Indian as well as international audiences. The visual experience will be enhanced by the employment of laser generated models of each stage providing the audience with an acoustically enriching experience, managed by SSE Audio, through the minimisation of delay from stage to audience.
RAFI RESURRECTED’ – THE ORIGINS
Tim Pottier, the Artistic Producer for the ‘Rafi Resurrected’ album and former CBSO librarian, has championed this project with Amarpal Singh Gaind of Saregama.
They began work on the project in late 2005 with Tim listening to literally hundreds of Rafi’s recordings in search of material that would work when played live on stage by a symphony orchestra. Now a confirmed Rafi fan, Tim Pottier believes he has managed to secure the best songs for Sonu Niigaam to sing on stage. Songs included in the CD and concert tour include Rafi classics such as:
q Aaj Mausam Bada Be-imaan Hai(LOAFER) – also featured in Monsoon Wedding and a song favoured by Tim Pottier
q Baharo Phool Barsao(SURAJ) – recently re-sampled by the Welsh artiste Jem Griffiths for her song ‘Come on Closer’
q Ghulabi Aankhen Jo Teri Dekhi(THE TRAIN)– one of RD Burman’s most acclaimed works which onomatopoeically creates the rhythmic movements of a train
q Dil Ke Jharoke Mein(BRAHMACHARI) – an extraordinary musical introduction to a song that won universal acclaim
q An Evening in Paris(AN EVENING IN PARIS)– the 60s are re-visited with this iconic track from the masters of composition, Shankar Jaikishan
q Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho(HANSTE ZAKHM) – a 70s Madan Mohan composed duet which employs all the accoutrements to project an atmosphere of sensuality
q Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki (DULARI) – Mohd.Rafi’s own personal favourite and a composition that dates back to 1949 from the masterful Naushad.
This complex global project involved the recording of the CBSO’s cover versions of the original orchestrations as well as certain percussion elements recorded in Mumbai.
The inevitable choice for rendering Rafi’s original songs was one of India’s most successful and in-demand ‘playback’ singers, Sonu Niigaam.
The voice of Mohd.Rafi has become embedded in Sonu’s psyche and he has always regarded him as a surrogate father.
Sonu began singing Mohd.Rafi’s songs from the age of 3 and has a sixth sense about the various intonations and nuances. Indeed Sonu Niigaam has paid particular attention to the era in which the songs have been sung as Mohd.Rafi’s voice matured through the 1940s through to the late 70s.
Sonu has attempted to modulate his voice to suit not only the peculiar style and mood of the composition but also the period in which the song was originally rendered. This is a totally unique concept and one that Sonu was proud to have been a part of. In fact Sonu Niigaam couldn’t imagine anyone else being involved with this project.