Long before the success of Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman became a legend in India for his spellbinding musical scores. Today he is recognized worldwide for his prowess and his work appears in Western movies; Rahman also wrote the music for the Commonwealth Games song in 2010.
He was in my town on Sunday. Here is the local paper said of his performance.
Winner of two 2009 Academy Awards (best score and song) for “Slumdog Millionaire,” Rahman is a master of epic themes embellished with artful textures and details. The Bowl selections ranged from Rahman’s first film score, “Roja” (The Rose), in 1992 to the sci-fi fantasy “Endhiran” in 2010. Music for “The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey” (2005) demonstrated one Rahman extreme — maximum power and sweep –but the soulful delicacy of “Chan Chan” (from “Water,” also 2005) sounded no less impressive.
