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The Sifu Of Music will be back at the National Theatre in June with a concert.

HIS is a name that needs no introduction. Datuk M Nasir is known for giving music lovers "pure gold" in his memorable songs, composed both for himself and his many proteges.

The multiple-award-winning music maestro from Singapore with close to 10 studio albums under his belt is the man behind timeless musical gems such as Sekuntum Mawar Merah (The Alleycats), Fantasia Bulan Madu (Search), Sejati (Wings), Sandarkan Pada Kenangan (Jamal Abdillah and Fauziah Ahmad Daud), and Aduh Saliha (Mawi).

His own hits include Mentera Semerah Padi, Phoenix Bangkit Dari Abu, Juwita Cinta Terindah, Tanya Sama Itu Hud Hud, Suatu Masa and Mustika.



From June 7-9, Nasir will be performing at Istana Budaya, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur for Konsert Sang Pencinta, a showcase that promises to be out of the ordinary.

Sang Pencinta will see Nasir croon his popular tunes in a musical-style setting, with spellbinding special effects that emanate from the creative mind of his longtime collaborator, Bombay of event organiser Bombbay Worldwide.

Bombay, who has produced most of Nasir's past concerts, says he is utilising visual mapping to create magical images around the national theatre's stage and these are tailor-made for each of Nasir's 20-odd songs.

"Every song has an interesting story to tell, and each is very meaningful, with deep messages. I've created colourful graphics to accompany each of them so that fans can go on a 3D visual and musical adventure," he says.

Bombay says this is the first time he is producing a show for Nasir at the national theatre. He had previously produced shows for Ziana Zain, Search and Wings.

Bombbay Worldwide is co-organising the concert with co-event organisers Red On Black and Belbis.

Nasir says: "The concert will be two hours and while I'll be performing most of my popular songs, my focus is on those which nicely fit the Sang Pencinta (lover, romantic) theme which is all about love, spirituality and redemption."

He is delighted to work with Bombay, describing him as a highly creative producer.

Istana Budaya director-general Datuk Juhari Shaarani says it is great to have Nasir back at the national theatre as he is a legend with fans of all ages.

"To back him up, we have some of the best musicians around. There are string instrumentalists from the National Symphony Orchestra and gamelan players from the Malaysian Traditional Orchestra," he says.

"They are sure to make a difference as, like Nasir, they are committed to perfection in musicianship."

The concert, he adds, is assisted by music director Aznan Alias and string arranger Mohd Rafi Shafie. Bombay is the concert director.

Bombay says: "We are busy preparing for the concert right now. The performance of each song is meticulously crafted by my creative team, with feedback from Nasir. There's a storyboard for each one, so it's more like a series of musical scenes."

Nasir says there will not be any special guest artistes as the musicians supporting him are "as good as guest artistes".

The concert was announced at a ceremony in Istana Bambu Restaurant in Ulu Klang recently. It was attended by Nasir, Juhari, Bombay, Red On Black chief executive officer Solih Toha and Belbis representatives Datuk Asmawi Kassim and Afandy Alias.

Tickets to the 8.30pm concert are priced between RM65 and RM455. Call 03-4147 8600 or 2161 8134.

By Dennis Chua
dchua@nst.com.my