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IR's interview on Sun TV

Topic started by Hari Prasad A (@ dail.pppmad.vsnl.net.in) on Wed Jan 26 12:38:51 EST 2000.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Sun Tvyil Ilayaraajavin interview paarthen. About the music, in His own words, " Indhiya thirai isai ulaga varalaatrile migapperiya thuvakkam, idhai pola yaarum panniyadhum illai, pannapovadhum illai" enru solli irukkkirar. Eppadi irukka poginradhu endru ninaithaale manadhil nadukkam pirakkindradhu...

The BGM, as we all know, has been played by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. IR talked proudly about how much He enjoyed working with them, and how the conductor appreciated His work. He talked about how this was the first time a symphony orchestra has played for a film in Indian history, and how superior he felt the quality of sound and feel would be.

Later, He became sentimental about how people in India do not respect the artists we have. He felt really sad that while every small town in Europe had a symphony orchestra, there was nothing here.. One could detect even a touch of anger, when He said - " Bombayil Tata Opera Hall katti irukkanga. Yaaru vasikkappora? Adhukkum velinaattu aalungala dhan kooppiduveenga... Yenna maadhiri aalunga ellam edhukku irukkirom? naan oru film music director, yennaala symphony orchestrakkaga ellam ezhudha mudiyadhu paarunga..."

I am dying to see and listen to the movie ....

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: srini (@ sandalwood.cisco.com) on: Tue Feb 1 00:22:43 EST 2000
  
  Mr. Ravi,
  We have all the emotions in our music too, for example in Bharatha Naattiyam we have all the emotions brought out in the dance, but the main thing which adds life to the artist's facial expression is the raagam to which the dance is performed.
  
  For example during occasions like marriage we have music to bring out the sequences like bride groom coming to the mandapam, the brides father doing his duties etc., unfortunately no one hears it & I pity those gifted ppl. who perform during marriages though they donot have a heeding audience.
  
  In short CM is in noway inferior to WCM, both are great in their own ways of bringing out the emotions. It depends how the listeners emotion is inclined to the type of music.
  
  thanks,
  srini
  
  
• From: STS (@ usr57-dialup253.mix1.sacramento.cw.net) on: Wed Feb 2 02:35:34 EST 2000
  
  I think if a film needs to be appreciated at international level, then BGM must be in WCM. I think thats what IR feels and Kamal has done the same. It is not CM against WCM. Both are good in their own ways and appeals to different section of the people. It is not fair for us to comment WCM as inferior (to CM). The question here is which one to use where.
  
  I fully agree with Jay. Why not compose different Keerthanas in addition to the ones composed by Thiagarajar. IR I believe has done something differnet in Sindhu Bairavi and section of the people (bhagavadhar's?) opposed that. No offense meant here. Follow old, in addition create new ones.
  
  STS
  
  
• From: kumar (@ 202.54.85.81) on: Wed Feb 2 04:16:28 EST 2000
  
  when talking about ICM and WCM, I remember what Narayanmurty CEO of Infosys
  once said in face to face pgm in TV. He seemed to be very indian, simple with gandhian values
  even so specific in things like using tumbler for coffee.
  But in music he said he is big WCM fan. when the anchor asked why is this contrast. He said father use to say that 'WCM a big team work', where as in indian concerts there prevails a competion among various artists. In WCM they just follow a single conductor.
  
  But I feel bit for competition and freedom among artists do give a good flavour for music. like difference between democracy and military rule.
  
  
• From: kiru (@ surf0004.sybase.com) on: Wed Feb 2 18:06:15 EST 2000
  
  Team work and discipline are cornerstones of western culture. No wonder their music reflects this. In the Ananda Vikatan, article, there is mention of the absolute silence during a musical performance. If any of you live in NorthAmerica please attend a WCM concert in your town. You can see this for yourself. One of the reasons is that they record these concerts or broadcast these concerts. Since most of these concerts are 'acoustical' performance (unamplified by speakers) any noise will be picked up by the recording/broadcast microphone. You can hear people clearing their throats/coughing/sneezing onlt at the end of performance.You can hear this even over FM radio when it is a live broadcast. Its an amazing experience.
  
  Re: not training hard. This seems to be a malaise in every field, including software.
  I dont think IR likes WCM because it will be appreciated at international level. I think he likes it for its technical aspects. For starters, you can write it down. Then you have the various techniques like fugue, counterpoint, chords. The systematic division of an orchestra into string, woodwind, brass and percussion. And more things like this.
  
  Please check out a WCM album called Carmina Burana- by Carl Orff. There are various recordings by different orchestras. If IR did more Guru like songs, it will sound exactly like this album. The new Enigma album is thematically based on a piece from this.
  
  
• From: Jay Narayanasamy (@ 1cust151.tnt6.har1.da.uu.net) on: Thu Feb 3 13:23:37 EST 2000
  
  Thx Ravi, STS. This is interesting question. Does CM represent all faces of human life or it's meant only for mental pleasure and spiritual practice. I think language plays a major role in music. Even AP friends are not able explain "mari mari nine". If I happened to hear a teleugu keerthani and "Ayar pAdi maligaiyil" one after other, probably I would intend to hum "Ayar pAdi" again. This is because I'm exposed to my language which would help me to attain that state easily. This 'language exposure' makes the difference. Then we can ask what language we have for guitar or veennai :-) This is very critical vast topic to be discussed that would deviate us again. Let me stop here! It's nice to know about WCM. Now other friends should come forward to talk about CM. I wish to be a silent observer and watch how our Debater is going to lead this thread further.
  
  
• From: kooththan (@ mail1.pmc-vacc.com) on: Thu Feb 3 15:17:41 EST 2000
  
  STS
  
  Raja HAS composed keerthanais. I have a Pyramid Classics CD that has 'Mandolin Srinivas playing Illayaraja's Classics'.
  
  When this collection was launched several years ago, there was a concert organised somewhere in TN where O. S. Thyagarajan sang the keerthanais composed by Raja. Semmangudi Srinivaasa Iyer was the guest of honour at this function. Even Subbudu reviewed and said mostly positive things about these compositions. His review was published in AV at the time.
  
  May be some CM pundits here can ellaborate more on this topic.
  
  ....later
  
  
• From: Madhan (@ 202.41.117.3) on: Fri Feb 4 12:00:04 EST 2000
  
  My thoughts on ICM,WCM - whatever be the form of music, apart from talent, one needs to have "Sirathhai" the urge, the never-say-die-attitude, the ability to work relentlessly - Ustad Bismillah Khan, learnt classical music by becoming a vegetarian and practicing with his Shehnai in a temple, 8 hrs. a day non stop without eating anything ! that is commitment for you - nowadays we have some singers like Shoba Mudgal who have gone pop, just to make money !! which also requires lesser hard work relatively, at least in the Indian pop music scenario ! of course there are artistes like Sanjay Subramaniam, Mandolin U.Srinivas and Ajay Chakraborty who are truely committed to music - but overall, even elderly vidhwans are becoming more and more idle and complacent, satisfied with bathroom singing practice sessions ! for any form of art to survive, we need the practitioners of the art to dedicate themselves to that art - that is lacking very much in the current Indian setup - why, mainly because, the present generation
  does not believe in getting things by genuine back breaking efforts- that is the bane of a commercialised world where ends justify the means !!
  it should not be therfore surprising that IR talks about WCM practitioners to be more disciplined - please note that IR does not degrade the SYSTEM of ICM - it is those who run the system that is a problem area ! why i have several foreign friends, who are just mesmerised by MSSubbulakshmi's voice, Pt.Hariprasad Chaurasia's flute and so on- the point here is that , if an enquisitve foreign music lover wants to genuinely know about Indian classical music, there are not many who can articulate and explain the nuances of ICM today- so strictly in terms of discipline, the general trend in ICM is not healthy at all -
  
  
• From: ravi k.s.ravichandran (@ pub-dial20.aclis.utah.edu) on: Sat Feb 5 01:41:01 EST 2000
  
  Srini, Kumar, STS, Kiru, Madan, Jay:
  
  All of you have made good points in response to my posting. Since I find your comments are balanced, I wish to share some more of my thoughts and see what you think:
  
  First of all WCM is written in form (the notes) in addition to the discipline, commitment that goes with it. That is one of the reasons that no one can fake it, allowing us to enjoy the original versions of WCM masters. The written form of it gaurds the music created hundreds of years ago. The original handwritten notes of Mozart, Bach are available for anyone to look at in Salzburg, Vienna, etc...I think that this point is often brought up by IR indirectly in many occasions. He refers to the fact that who knows that present ICM vidwans are singing the orignial forms of it, faithfully, and who is there to verify it? Who knows there are improvisations during their performance ? It becomes one's word versus the other, allowing lot of room to despise and rule and to deter, if you are popular and powerful. I have not heard of written form of ICM, interms of musical scales, devised interms of sound frequency ranges and pitches..It should be doable, I think.. This seems to be the biggest drawback in ICM.
  
  Secondly, most of ICM that I know of are devoted to Bhakthi and spiritual and austre life. Is there nothing else in life? Romanace, adventure, despair and sorrow ? We live in a scientifically very advanced world that is at the verge of making revolutions in biology, genetics, IT and space.. Do we need bhakthi all the time to drudge through the horrors of life...? We, as human beings are destined to live through life on earth, be it rich or poor, or happy or sad, secure or desparate. But we can comfortably agree that we all can have reasonable living and can make it without persecution. That means we do not have to be tied down to Bhakthi or spiritual life most of the time, if we do not want to. People want to have some enjoyment... But one is free to do anything one likes. But the point is different people would like to do different things, so where are the different musical forms in ICM that support people under such circumstances? In particular, we need lots of music to revolutionize romance, love, adventure in India, to take us away from the too much "spiritual" and "pius" attitude that previals in our culture. We sort of need musical forms to energise the youth (not like the poppy and rocky stuff that actually spoils them, IMO) and make timely changes in cultural evolution. Also we need musical forms that would unite us beyond, religion, caste and language. I do not think that ICM in its present state is capable of doing that, in fact, it seems to me it may be doing the opposite.
  
  Thirdly, why the hell such admiration to WCM? Let me explain.. If we look back history, most of WCM stalwards actually had miserable life, owing to their devotion to music. Beethoven, in his later years was partially deaf, and it was that period during which he was said to have composed most intense music. Mozart, notwithstanding his success in his early life, actually was almost pennyless, later in his life. Tchaikovsky, was acutally a homosexual, was dependent on an anonymous lady supporter whom he never met! After you read the life of Tchaikovsky, and when you listen to his Symp No. 6, named "pathetique" you can feel his agony of this later life. Yet, these guys scored marvellous music during such periods in their life. They aall seemed to have died unhappy, but they have left precious forms of music that you and I can relate to during such moments in our life.. Such were their devotion to music. How many of our self-proclaimed vidwans that cater to a narrow audience in cities can be ranked in this category? When we often speak of the supposed superiority or comparableness of ICM to WCM, it often pains me, because such comparisons, knowlingly or unknowingly sort of insult the stalwarts of WCM. I had no clue about WCM until I came to US. Neither did I had any clue about ICM when I was in India. Now I think I know a tiny bit of them at least to raise questions. To me a successful music is something that anyone can apprecite without having even having to learn abc's of it! In otherwords, music must be heard and felt by many. That is solely the objective of music and the acoustics that it relies on. The more primitive the person it appeals to, the more success that music had had.
  
  In ICM, I am sure we see occasional originals such as say (as I see it) Mandolin Srinivas, may be LS, may be Namagripettai.. But doesn't it look like they are sort of tied to and within, the bounds of ICM? Alright they are nationally/internationally recognized experts, but why they are so tied down to a particular domain of bhakthi or spiritual..? Can't they compose music that would cater to a wider audience?
  
  There was reference to Music during marriage.. Yes, those guys actually deserve better.. Plus the guys those play the "duos" in concerts, trying to talk to and compete with each other.. that is enjoyable... I think there is some connection to one's mind and soul there..
  
  In the end, my point is not to criticise ICM, but simply to highlight what is seemingly available in WCM and what I would like to see in ICM.
  
  I recall a very nice remark made by Sivram Karan, the noted Karnataka folk art expert, after seeing the little 6 year olds painfylly perfoming Bharathanatyam, at a function in IISc that we organized.. He asked "what does the dance mean to them.. to those 6 year olds? Why are we so fastidiously require them (the children were not very interested in doing..one can tell..) to perform such acrobatics, when they can have some fun, freely doing what they want to do? (He could be wrong, those children might have enjoyed dancing..one would never know..)
  
  Objective comments are welcome..
  
  
• From: srikanth (@ wdslppp129.sttl.uswest.net) on: Sat Feb 5 01:57:41 EST 2000
  
  http://www.medieval.org/music/world/carnatic/cmc.html
  
  please read this!,
  
  

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