Composer A.R. Rahman – The Music of 127 Hours

December 20, 2010 - 12:00 AM

The SoundWorks Collection talked with composer A.R. Rahman about his second collaboration with Director Danny Boyle on “127 Hours” following their Oscar winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”.

MOVIE STUDIO

Fox Searchlight Pictures

DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle

ORIGINAL MUSIC

A.R. Rahman

Synopsis

A two-time Academy Award winning composer, A. R. Rahman has helped redefine contemporary Indian music. The “Mozart of Madras” as Time Magazine dubbed him, has sold more than 150 million CDS. Rahman pursued a musical career at a young age and obtained a degree in western classical music from the Trinity College of Music, London. He set up his own in-house studio Panchathan Record-Inn at Chennai. In 1991, he debuted with the score for “Roja”, a run-away success which won him the Indian National Award for best music composer, the first time ever by a debutant. Ten years later, Andrew Lloyd Webber invited Rahman to compose for his musical, “Bombay Dreams,” which ran for two years and later premiered on Broadway. Rahman also composed the score for the production of “The Lord Of The Rings,” one of the most expensive stage productions ever. In 2008 Rahman gained global prominence with his score for “Slumdog Millionaire” winning two Academy Awards for Best Score and Best Song. Overall, he won 15 awards including two Grammys, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. To date, Rahman has won 25 Filmfare Awards, 3 MTV Awards, 4 IIFA Awards, 6 Tamil Nadu State Awards, 6 Zee Awards, and 4 Screen Awards. Rahman was also bestowed with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, two of India's highest national civilian honours. This year, Rahman reunited with acclaimed filmmaker Danny Boyle for 127 HOURS. The film, released by FOX Searchlight Pictures, reunites the Slumdog Millionaire team of composer A.R. Rahman, director Danny Boyle, writer Simon Beaufoy, and producer Christian Colson. Boyle needed just the right music to capture the film’s exploration of one man’s extraordinary triumph over incomparable circumstances. Rahman’s superbly eclectic score succeeds by balancing ambient sound, silence and driving rhythms that deliver an emotionally powerful and uplifting score. The Wall Street Journal praised Rahman’s score by saying “as in "Slumdog," A.R. Rahman's score drives the narrative with relentless force” and Peter Travers at Rolling Stone noted “like the A.R. Rahman score that drives the movie, the triumphant, enthralling 127 HOURS pays fitting tribute to Aron by being thrillingly alive.” For his work on 127 Hours, Rahman was just nominated for a Golden Globe for “Best Original Score” as well as a Critics Choice Award for “Best Song.” Rahman wants to establish a tradition in western classical music in India and recently set up the KM Music Conservatory and Symphony Orchestra based out of Chennai. He plans to provide a platform for non-mainstream music through his music label KM Musiq and will shortly launch a couple of artists. Rahman has also set up the A.R. Rahman Foundation to help underprivileged children. He also serves as the UN Ambassador for the 2015 Millennium Development Goals.

Sound Credits

Hugo Adams
effects field recordist
Niv Adiri
sound design editor
Niv Adiri
sound re-recording mixer
Ben Barker
sound design editor
Nicolas Becker
foley artist
Nicolas Becker
foley editor
David Betancourt
adr mixer
Jason Brady
boom operator
Andrew Caller
assistant re-recording mixer
Alfonso Calvo
dubbing re-recording mixer
Douglas Cameron
sound mixer
Gillian Dodders
supervising dialogue adr editor
Noel Espinosa
boom operator
Glenn Freemantle
sound designer
Glenn Freemantle
supervising sound editor
Joseph L. Garrard
boom operator (as Joseph Garrard)
Glen Gathard
assistant foley editor
Peter Gleaves
adr mixer
Andy Hagon
sound mix technician
Marisa Kelley
boom operator
Steven C. Laneri
sound mixer
Adam Mendez
foley recordist
Emilie O'Connor
assistant sound editor
Emilie O'Connor
dialogue editor
Jon Olive
foley editor
Palmer Pattison
adr mixer
Richard Pryke
sound re-recording mixer
Charleen Richards
adr mixer
James Shannon
dolby sound consultant
Andy Stallabrass
adr recordist
Ian Tapp
sound re-recording mixer
Lee Herrick
dialogue editor (uncredited)
Mark Heslop
sound editor (uncredited)
Paul Jousselin
assistant foley artist (uncredited)
John Soukup
sound transfer (uncredited)

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