‘Bollywood Greats’, a celebration of the music of Indian legends such as Shankar-Jaikishan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, R.D. Burman and A.R. Rahman, will mark the launch of London Bollywood Orchestra – an ensemble of talented international musicians, who will be performing their debut show at Wilton’s Music Hall in London on October 5.
UK-based singers Navin Kundra and Rekha will join the 15-piece orchestra, complete with an array of wind, string, brass and percussion instruments, including the tabla and dholak. Indian music lover Vimal Anandpura’s quest for the thrill of live Bollywood music to resonate beyond just one-off sold-out performances, such as a night at the BBC Proms celebrating the music Lata Mangeshkar, led music director Tim Pottier to reunite with arranger-guitarist Saurabh Shivakumar to recreate some of that magic in a more intimate setting.
Pottier explains: “The live experience is always more exhilarating. We wanted that magic to continue and so we thought about doing a music theatre sized ensemble that can travel around, go to many different places and connect with more people.
“Wilton’s, which is used as a film set and has a very rich history as a music hall with sailors coming in here hundreds of years ago, just feels fitting for a Bollywood concert. It’s almost like being back in one of those Bollywood sets from that magical 1960s-70s era when R.D. Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan and Laxmikant-Pyarelal were making that phenomenal music.”
Pottier, who was the lead arranger behind the Lata Mangeshkar Prom last year, was the obvious choice for this new musical project, given his experience working with Rahman on the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s (CBSO) 'Best of Bollywood' concerts; with Sonu Nigam on ‘Rafi Resurrected’ – an ode to celebrated Indian playback singer Mohammed Rafi; and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s ‘Remembering Nusrat’. The London-based musician, whose Bollywood and qawwali arrangements have been performed the world over, is convinced about the universal appeal of Hindi film music.
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“I think musically there’s something to draw everybody into a Bollywood show. There will be a real mixed audience in a place like Wilton’s, with those who are simply curious about music and then the real fans who will bring the enthusiasm when they hear their favourites,” says Pottier.
“When you are performing live music, everything is spontaneous, almost like living on the edge. The old Bollywood tracks used to have that same nervous energy because they were often recorded in a very short time with a small number of microphones but hundreds of performers. So, the London Bollywood Orchestra will be bringing some of that everything-is-alive-right-now magic to stage.”
As for the songs, there will be range of melodies dating back to the 1940s right up to some of the more contemporary chart-toppers – some complete numbers mixed in with musical medleys.
*Ticket info: London Bollywood Orchestra, Wilton’s Music Hall
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