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Some of my wishes for Ilaiyaraja

Topic started by A Devotee of IR (@ nc36.pr.mcs.net) on Sat Apr 11 01:54:11 EDT 1998.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I hope that Ilaiyaraja can entertain the following in his mind for the next 10 years

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Responses:

• From: Devoted for life (@ nc36.pr.mcs.net) on: Sat Apr 11 02:10:46 EDT 1998
  
  Friends, I hope you do not mind if I invited each one of you to just meditate on this topic. What else is that we wish Raja would also do to put Raja as the all-time greatest composer? I mean, he had accomplished too much already, but something that will kind of put him on the world map for time immemorial.
  
  For me:
  
  1. Would like Raja to produce some theme music, like the Pink Panther (Henry Mancini) James Bond (John Barry), Lawrence of Arabia (Maurice Jarre), Chariots of Fire (Vangelis). These composers have achieved worldwide popularity with just one or two famous instrumental theme music compositions.
  
  2. Reproduce some of Raja's own film songs as instrumental music, just as Paul Mauriat, Franck Pourcell, James Last have done with famous pop and rock hit singles
  
  3. Write a sonata for the piano, like Beethoven's Emperor Concerto (No.5)
  
  4. Perhaps, write a Jazz composition for a famous Jazz artist.
  
  5. Maybe even compose a song to be sung by Michael Jackson (that is a totally different idiom that Raja will have to create)
  
  6. Compose Music for a major Hollywood thriller and hear those special sounds of Ilaiyaraja. (Let me tell you, his style of music is already noticeable in a few hollywood films of late. Examples: Phenomenon, another John Travolta movie after that, maybe Men-in-Black theme music)
  
  7. Produce a major Hindi film hit, maybe for an Amitabh movie
  
  8. If Raja is going to give a thought to the above, then he may be forgiven for not attempting to compose for a 1000 Indian movies (which by my calculation, will take another 5 to 7 years, if Raja goes at a speed of 40 movies per hear , mph or mpy!)
  
  Anyway, that is my wishful thinking. However, if Raja should do it, there should be the whole world to celebrate this wonderful occurrence in this universe, called Ilaiyaraja.
  
  
  
  
• From: easwaran hariharan (@ ww-ti05.proxy.aol.com) on: Sat Apr 11 02:30:51 EDT 1998
  
  Raja is a normal human being like all of us.
  Let him be in that way, no offense intended
  
  e.hari
  
  
• From: Senthil Kumar (@ 203.120.115.1) on: Mon Apr 13 22:58:06 EDT 1998
  
  Shall we(the blessed humans in this universe to be a fan of Raaja) wish our Maestro on this Tamil New year Day? I hope every single Raaja's fan will wish this Legend in their own way. After we complete our wish list we should try to forward it to our IsaiRaaja. I would not be suprised if he is already a silent spectator to our discussions on him and if we can get his email address that would be great!
  
  Wish list from "A devotee of IR" is a good start. Come on IR fans...
  
  
• From: Senthil Kumar (@ 203.120.115.1) on: Tue Apr 14 00:05:27 EDT 1998
  
  Friends, it's me again!
  
  I created a separate topic to commemorate the Tamil New Year Day and we shall consolidate all the wishes in that topic and we can continue responses to this topic as normal. Thanks
  
  
• From: devudu_fan (@ bones.deneb.com) on: Tue Apr 14 04:26:07 EDT 1998
  
  No offense IR Devotee,
  
  I have a similar (almost exact) wish list for DevA.
  
  But what todo Deva is too busy with scoring music for TF (!!!)
  
  BTW, what is a sonata for the piano ???
  
  
  
• From: Nithin (@ nc36.pr.mcs.net) on: Sun Apr 19 05:28:54 EDT 1998
  
  Responses to apathy for Raja's Voice, and 'Raja should Retire':
  
  The most important cornerstone in Raja's musical presentations has been Raja's own initiative to bring to the hearts of the people of Tamil nadu, Raja' voice that easily reminds us of the folk origins of music. What I am saying is: that is the legend behind Raja. No other MD in India and abroad (as far as I know) has brought us closer to the composer than has Raja has done by communicating with his own voice, mor than by using his brilliant orchestra.
  
  There is something unique about Raja, which I have not come across in any other genius in any field of endeavour. That is the capacity to continually evolve from one level of perfection to another level of perfection. If you see what I mean, at the highest level of perfection, Raja is simply moving across various platforms of musical creativity. This man started at the highest level and released all boundaries for musical imagination. To expand on my point: when I listen to Annakkili, then go a few years later to Tik, Tik, Tik, then to Idaya Koil, then to Iduyathe Thirudathe, then to Yejaman, then on to Guru in Malayalam, KM in Tamil, Nammoora Mandara Hoove in Kannada, then to his Carnatic recitals, and to his Symphony ventures, this man is just going on with the same energy levels as before and same philosophy about pleasing different types of listeners and creating history all the time. Who in the history of this world has accomplished this?
  
  Who can ever say that Raja can retire? If he is producing less film music, it is because Raja has been spending time building his new studio, introducing his Sons, giving a break to his mechanical prolificity and perhaps spending a little for the first time in 20 years, reminiscing about his great works and spending more time giving concernts, etc.
  
  I do not foresee Raja retiring in the next five to 10 years as he is certainly up to something to round up his career. This man has never needed any influence of drugs, emotional outburst or any applause to continue his creativity unlike many of the legends such as Mozart, Shakespeare who eventually burnt out either because of emotional exhaustion of because of the overwhelming dosage of opium!
  
  I think Raja has still half a bottle of his original energy conserved and will continue for another 10 years and since we all know that he is a part of the public psyche in South India, everyone of us would like to see him revived just as we are seeing the great Sivaji Ganesan and even MSV being kept active in films today.
  
  No wonder, all the stalwarts of South Indian cinema are devoted to bringing back Raja to all of us.
  
  
• From: Viswa (@ webgate0.mot.com) on: Mon Apr 20 05:59:34 EDT 1998
  
  I feel that Raja must now take up only those films that offer him some scope and variety to come up with good scores (e.g. "Guru" in Malayalam). There is no point in continuing to work on run-of-the-mill stuff over and over again. Perhaps, that is also the reason (as someone mentioned) why his songs for Malayalam, Kannada, etc. are better than those of his songs in Tamil films today. Right now, he has reached a stage where quantity (no. of films) is not important, and quality alone is the main criterion. In fact, if IR is to stamp his class the world over, it has to be through selective quality work. It is not numbers that is going to bring him laurels...
  
  To that end, he's absolutely justified in restricting his Tamil ventures and concentrating on good films in Malayalam and Kannada. He does'nt have to do a Rajini film or a Kamal film to be well-known. Neither does he have to necessarily work in Hindi films to attain national/international status. After all, did'nt our country's best known film-maker Satyajit Ray make films only in Bengali ?
  
  
• From: kanth (@ 205.211.50.66) on: Thu Apr 23 23:13:10 EDT 1998
  
  we need new people so its not a big matter over him
  
  
• From: Fan-of-Inimitable IR (@ 203.120.115.1) on: Fri Apr 24 03:03:33 EDT 1998
  
  Well you may need new people. But for your life-time and even your grandsons will not find anyone who can replace the great Maestro! So it will be a BIG matter.
  
  If it is not a big matter for you then this topic is meant for you I believe.
  
  
• From: Fan-of-Inimitable IR (@ 203.120.115.1) on: Fri Apr 24 04:34:42 EDT 1998
  
  Sorry typo error, I mean this topis is NOT meant for you I believe.
  
  
• From: Fan-of-Inimitable IR (@ 203.120.115.1) on: Fri Apr 24 04:34:58 EDT 1998
  
  Sorry typo error, I mean this topic is NOT meant for you I believe.
  
  
• From: Sriram (@ 132-ppp-a.tnt02.agis.net) on: Thu Jan 28 20:45:43 EST 1999
  
  Well said Viswa!
  
  (1) IR should avoid promoting Bhavadharini to sing in his albums.
  
  (2) He should not sing too many songs in one album
  
  (3) accept movies where he can give songs like the ones from "Mogamull", "Guru" etc.
  
  (4) avoid phrases like "ragadevan peraketta visiladikanum doi", 'rasayya' , 'rosappoo', 'aathaa', etc. and show some elegancy there
  
  (5) continue his unique style of music with violins and not to totally switch to computer music for salebility of his albums.
  
  (6) give chances to new voices who are plenty in number waiting for a chance to make it great like now --Harini identified by ARR, Hariharan again identified by ARR from North.
  
  these are a few thoughts... (aracha maavu thaan, aanalum manasula oru aadhangam, adhaan kottitaen)
  
  
• From: S.P MAHENDRAN (@ 161.139.37.84) on: Fri Jan 29 00:37:37 EST 1999
  
  IR still going strong in film music and keep it up...!There is nobody can stop you because you is the one and only genius in music industries all around the world.
  
  
• From: Venkat (@ lpcat102.oardc.ohio-state.edu) on: Fri Jan 29 17:09:07 EST 1999
  
  I believe IR to be a real genius musician. I listen to his golden oldies again and again. However, I recently listened to his Telugu film album 'Anthapuram' (was made in Tamil also). I couldn't help shutting off the tape. It is mediocre music and not the same old IR. I hope this movie is just an abberation and does not make a statement on his music abilities.
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Fri Jan 29 21:36:03 EST 1999
  
  Lot of good points have been covered by Devotee (especially points 1 to 4) and Sriram(with a difference of opinion on Hariharan in point#6)
  
  Adding to theirs my biggest wish:
  Hire someone with an MA degree in Thamizh but who preferably has no knowledge of even conversational English and have that person write the lyrics. The quality of lyrics would soar so high. This is so evident when listening to songs penned by Vaasan (Poonthoattam), Arivumathi(siraichchaalai)and R.V. Udhayakumar (Kizhakku Vaasal, Ponnumani, Chinnakounder). Actually, I wish this for all MDs.
  
  
• From: aruLarasan (@ psiphi.umsl.edu) on: Sun Jan 31 18:05:52 EST 1999
  
  udhayA,
  
  you have chosen wrong movies/writers to make you point. RVU has been writing consistently good
  thamizh. you might have low opinion of their style but that's a matter of taste and hence there is
  no discussion there. i personally like all the siRaichchAlai songs, pAdip paRandha kiLi and many
  of the songs written by these "underdogs" mainly for the lake of pretension that is glaring in
  VM's and vAli's songs. since IR already did away with VM long time ago, he is a step ahead of your
  wishes, in this matter. OC IMO.
  
  
• From: Raj (@ master.hyd.deshaw.com) on: Mon Feb 1 01:23:51 EST 1999
  
  Arul,I think Udhaya was quoting those as examples for *GOOD* lyrics!!
  
  

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