The popular quintet band Orfeo is back. Though they never split formally the members pursued separate careers, always meeting up, talking music, till they decided on this reunion. The five cover versions they uploaded on YouTube have gone viral and a call to perform with the BRICS Orchestra in Russia this October make it a great comeback.
“Orfeo was very popular in the late 1990s and the start of 2000. The band comprised Carol George, Chandru and Joby on the violin, Cheenu on the cello and I played the piano. For nearly five years we played some great music at some amazing venues. Chandru, Cheenu and Joby went abroad, Carol moved to Mumbai and I launched my music school. Orfeo was silent all these years,” says Robin Thomas.
The new-look Orfeo has, apart from Robin and Carol, three talented musicians – Francis Xavier (violin), Herald Antony (viola) and Joshua Samuel (cello). And joining them to put the act together, acting as the arranger of the band is Rex Isaac, the brilliant violinist, teacher, and conductor.
“We got together sometime last year and decided to play a few covers. With the help and guidance of Rex Master five songs were chosen. He did the string arrangements for them giving the songs a new dimension,” informs Herald.
The songs that were played, videographed and uploaded are Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal , Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On …, Besame mucho , the classic Spanish melody, My Favourite Things … and A.R. Rahman’s Veerapandi kottayile …
The professionalism of the band is evident in the unpretentious and superlative playing of the five amazing musicians. They are at ease, perfecting the art of melding different worlds, the slow lilting tunes of the Spanish melody or the rapid pace of the Rahman piece.
“The popularity of the videos has inspired us. It paved the way for the Moscow assignment. And once we get back we plan to have a couple of shows that will perhaps be the ‘official’ re-launch of Orfeo,” informs Robin.
In Moscow the five musicians of Orfeo will be part of the 75-member orchestra that will perform three concerts. “BRICS is celebrating the Year of Russian Presidency of this association comprising five major emerging national economies, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The BRICS Orchestra will have 15 musicians from each of these countries. We are fortunate to be part of it,” says Carol George, a member of the Symphony Orchestra of India and according to many stalwarts one of the best Western violinists in the country today.
Vijay Upadhyaya, the founder and conductor of the Indian National Youth Orchestra (INYO), a respected international conductor, who has taught at some of the world renowned conservatories, will be in charge of the rehearsals and of coordinating the musicians.
“It is still not clear whether he will be conducting the orchestra in Moscow. Most of the musicians he selected from India are members of the INYO. When we did our video I sent it to Vijay and his sister Sonia Khan, who is the director of the INYO. In May this year Sonia contacted us and spoke about the BRICS concerts. Since they had heard and seen our video there was no need for an audition,” says Carol.
The concerts in Russia are slated to be held at the Kremlin Palace (October 20), Moscow International Hall of Music (October 21) and at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral (October 22).
“We have a tentative list of the pieces we are going to perform. They include Alexander Scriabin (Russia), Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras 4th in the series of nine suites, Guan Xia’s (China) Piano Concerto No. 1 The Founder and Prayer Flags (India), which is Vijay Upadhyaya’s first symphony. We may play a few movements from it,” adds Carol.
Orfeo, which is perhaps the only quintet band in the country, has many plans for the band. “In November-December we have two concerts lined up in Chennai and Pondicherry. We are probing the possibility of having singers to back up the quintet. The five songs that we have done will be part of our repertoire, which will include a mix of traditional hits, classic compositions and some fiery instrumentals. All we need to do is schedule our shows in a manner that it does not meddle with our routine work for each one of us is a busy professional,” says Robin.
With all the five musicians virtuosos of their instruments Orfeo is set for a long, symphonic journey.
