A Correspondent –
Amit Sengupta, Director and Principal of Mohammed Rafi Academy of Music, believes that the ‘Old is Gold’ series presents some of yesteryears’ evergreen songs created and sung by Hindi Cinema’s veteran music directors and singers.
He also believes that it is an ideal platform where local musicians, singers and dancers learn to collaborate and promote the songs in a way that reflects their individual style and persona.
Memorable melodies
“A timeless song is more memorable when a singer can render it in his or her own voice style, thus revealing a personality to the audience”, he said.
His latest production, ‘Old is Gold VII’ will go on stage on Saturday, May 2, 2015 (7 pm) at Dorothy Winstone Centre, Auckland Girls Grammar School.
Interesting stories
According to Mr Sengupta, the ‘Seventh Edition’ will reveal many interesting stories surrounding the origin of the selected songs, and the substantial time and effort spent on orchestration, compared to today’s Hindi Cinema.
“We therefore encourage people to buy tickets as they will not only enjoy witnessing all 36 songs featured in the Concert, but also listen to the stories behind the composition of some of these songs,” he said.
Dance numbers
Mr Sengupta said that ‘Old is Gold VII’ will have three dancers rendering as many song sequences.
“The dance numbers have been choreographed and directed by Ratna Venkat, who has been appearing in a number of shows since her Bharata Natyam Arangetram and Kuchipudi Ranga Pravesham on March 10, 2007. She will perform solo ‘Mose Chaal Kiye Jaye Hai’ (Guide) and ‘Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya’ (Mughal E Azam) with Divya Krishnamurthy. Another dance item by Nirmita Ghosh will be to the tunes of ‘Tune O Rangeele Kaise Jadu Kiya’ (Kudrat),” he said.
The musicians
Among the singers are Akhila Puthigae, Amit Sengupta, Dr Hubert D’Cruze, Guncha Singh, Rachit Bhatia, Rita Krishnamurthy, Srisha Iyer and Vidya Teke.
The Orchestra includes Amit Sengupta (Harmonium), Antony Yempee (Lead Guitar), Basant Madhur (Tabla), Diya Antony (Rhythm Guitar), Hemant Thaker (Keyboard), Joseph Alexander (Electronic Drums), Kamla Prasad (Dholak), Madan Kalyan (Keyboard), Shivam Padayachi (Bass Guitar) and Vishnu Mangalkari (Acoustic Percussion).
Photo :
- Akhila Puthigae, a talented singer
- Ratna Venkat dancing at the previous event
- A section of the audience at ‘Old is Gold’ 2013
| What: Old is Gold VIIWho: Mohammed Rafi Academy of Music
Where: Dorothy Winstone Centre Auckland Girls Grammar School Howe Street, Newton When: Saturday, May 2 at 7 pm Tickets: $20 at selected outlets Contact: Amit Sengupta on (09) 6295278 or 022-4249269 |
