“Mamma” crooned lead singer William Richmond, his eyes closed, a fist held close to his heart.
Thanks to Bohemian Rhapsody and Rami Malek, the Queen fever continues to thrive well into December and the Shillong Chamber Choir is not impervious to it.
For its latest performance in Chennai at Phoenix MarketCity’s amphitheatre, the group, for the first time, attempted to sing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in its entirety. Though they opened with another Queen classic, ‘Barcelona’, and ended with a sing-along of ‘We Are The Champions’, the iconic rock opera was the headliner of the night.
“‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is a huge challenge for any singer,” said William, settling down at a cafe after the performance to talk about their work. “The crowd seemed to have liked it, but musically, we can still do better,” he stated. “Satisfaction is a very dangerous thing, the minute you are satisfied, you stop improving.”
Reinvention perhaps is what drives the Shillong Chamber Choir, which has been around for 18 years. “We did a show in London recently, and one of the audience members asked us to come back with another performance as soon as possible. We said ‘you’ll get tired of us’!”
But William adds that they realise there are some classics people will never tire of. The choir’s show in Chennai featured medleys of old favourites. ‘Ajeeb Dastan’ took on a motown vibe; Kishore Kumar’s ‘Jane kahan mera jigar gaya ji’ was paired with Johnny Cash’s ‘You are my sunshine’; the na-na na’s of The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ in rhythm with the dum-dara’s of AR Rahman’s ‘Tere bina’; and for some swing, the chorus of ‘Koi mil gaya’ was layered with ‘Save the last dance for me’.
“The key,” explained William, “lies in picking the right song. Songs that you know will make people happy, that take them to a more innocent time.” At the same time, the group also keeps a finger on the pulse of the current generation and stitches performances together accordingly. Even though medleys are created to be relatable sing-alongs, they are more layered than what you hear on the first go. “It’s not just the melody lines associated with it, a second listen will throw up harmonies and nuances in the writing,” said William.
The high notes
In shimmering blue gowns that rippled in the wind, the women of the Shillong Chamber Choir lent their soprano voices to carols too, from the foot-tapping ‘Feliz Navidad’ to the gently lulling ‘Silent Night’. Female lead Ibarisha Lyngdoh’s voice shone as she sang ‘When Christ was Born’. It was the same voice that reproduced Montserrat Caballé’s rendition of ‘Barcelona’. Such was the quality that even ‘Koi Mil Gaya’s’ non-lexical fillers sounded vaguely operatic!
Opera looms large in the choir’s songs, especially in their Khasi folk songs. The one they sang for this performance was a victory song that William said evoked aggressive enthusiasm. “It’s derived from a folk tale where the son of the land has returned after winning battles after many years. It’s a song of feasting,” he says. The ta-dunks of the percussion, accompanied by spirited foot-tapping, built up the tension, while the ‘Ooo-ae-ki’ war chants released it.
This song was written by Neil Nongkynrih, the founder of Shillong Chamber Choir pointed out William, “He is writing a folk opera, something in between a musical and an opera. When he returned from London, he wanted to revive Khasi language through music. The Khasi people are deeply engrossed in folk tales, so operas based on them make sense.”
