Rafi Resurrected is the coming together of Saregama India Ltd, India’s flagship music company, Sonu Niigaam, our top male singer and the CBSO, one of UK’s finest orchestras. The three legends have created musical history at the three concerts in UK this month in Birmingham, Manchester and London Coliseum.
It is for the first time ever that the 75 member-CBSO arranged and orchestrated eighteen of Mohd. Rafi’s melodious songs. For the first time the world-famous symphony orchestra teamed up also with Sonu Niigaam.
On June 17, Saregama India Ltd launched the double CD of Rafi Resurrected, consisting of 16 songs and four instrumentals of Mohd. Rafi hits. The concept of the album came from Tim Pottier, former librarian of the CBSO and artistic producer, and he personally chose the tracks. Saregama India Ltd. is the custodian of over half of all the music ever recorded in India with over 300,000 songs, 23,000 artistes and 50,000 contracts.
Sonu Niigaam had given his first stage performance with his father at the age of three with a Rafi song. He has been Mohd. Rafi’s ardent fan since his childhood and the voice of Rafi has become embedded in Sonu’s psyche and he has always regarded him as a surrogate father. Incidentally Sonu Niigaam celebrates his birthday on July 30 while Mohd. Rafi’s death anniversary is on July 31.
Commenting on the initiative, Atul Churamani, Vice-President - A &R, New Media and Publishing said, “Rafi Resurrected was one of the most ambitious projects for us. The concert was a mega-success in all three cities especially the grand finale at London Coliseum and I don’t think that the city would have ever witnessed such a magnificent event in the recent past. When Tim approached us with the thought, we knew this would create history and it truly has. Saregama India Ltd is extremely proud to be associated with this project and especially with Sonu being part of the entire project.” Some of the tracks of Rafi Resurrected include Aaj mausam bada beimaan hai(Loafer), which also featured in Monsoon Wedding and is a song favoured by Tim Pottier, Baharon phool barsao (Suraj), recently re-sampled by the Welsh artiste Jem Griffiths for her song Come on closer and Gulabi aankhen (The Train), R.D.Burman’s acclaimed work that onomatopoeically creates the rhythmic movements of a train and others songs handpicked by Pottier.
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