Sandesh Shandilya who has composed the music for 27 Indian films, including Chameli and Jab We Met has been working on a world music symphony, Search For Buddha, which will have its world premiere in Cologne, Germany, on February 6, followed by a show in Bielefeld the next day, and then a UK premiere in London. Sandhesh also plans to have shows around the world and in India too.
The composer always wanted to create music with a message of world peace. Buddha became the symbol after he took a course in Vipassana Meditation which put him in touch with his inner self through 10 days of silence. "I learnt that by conquering anger, lust, greed, fear and attachment, you can be at peace with yourself and bring peace to the world," he recalls.
Buddha's inner journey will be traversed by 60 musicians from Germany, Hungary, UK Japan, the Middle East, South Africa and India, 40 members of the WDR Funkhaus Orchestra and the WDR Radio Choir and five soloists, including Rhani Kriya, Strings' percussionist on the drums and Markus Stockhaousen, his co-producer, on the trumpet/flugelhorn. "During rehearsals I noticed that the music sounded western classical so I decided to draw musicians from all over," he says.
Sandesh has also arranged the music with Christopher Masand and will do some folk-singing. The symphony will be conducted by Wayne Marshall, but some day soon, like Zubin Mehta, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Illayaraja and Pyarelal, Sandesh would like to conduct too.
All the musicians have been gifted a CD of Rang Ransiya. "Marcus introduced me to the WDR Funkhaus Orchestra, they loved the symphony and when they quizzed on my previous work, I played Rang Rasiya for them which mesmerised them," he reminisces.
Currently the Composer is working on iPad with Road to Sangam director Amit Roy, Satrah Ko Shaadi for John Abraham, Time Out and Sudhir Mishra's Aur Devdas.
