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Ilayaraaja in ITALY

Topic started by Kiran (@ 203.106.8.139) on Sat May 22 05:58:54 EDT 2004.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

http://www.cinesouth.com/masala/hotnews/new/22052004-2.shtml

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: prabhudas (@ 140.251.159.192) on: Wed May 26 22:04:03 EDT 2004
  
  Meeting with Maestro...contd...
  
  As soon as we entered his room, he welcomed us and recognized immediately ( adaan... 3 times in three days pakkathuliye suthigittu irundhome..)
  He offered coffee and seats, kovil (not Simbhu film) le Kadavule prasadam kudukkara maadhiri feeling... any ways, When my wife told him that we named our daughter (6 year old now) after his famous "Janani" song , he said it is a very nice name, and said Bharathiraja's daughter also is named Janani.
  
  I started with
  1.Asking about ways to get his BGM clips/old film albums remastered version to reach especially his fans all over the world, he smiled and said," yes yes I have plans later in a sort of exclusively for fans thro’ some fanclubs, India (TIS) project ellam mudinja piragu.." I think we should work closely with him to get the maximum out of this.
  
  More than one occasion, he kept telling, he doesn't read newspaper, watch TV, etc..etc.. All he knew was " Andha saptaswarangal" daan, I am writing this because, he seem to know about everything happening despite the way he put it.
  
  2. I asked about the "Mozart effect”, and a project in similar lines after the "TIS' project (I had taken some materials in reference to that with lot of hesitation in a way like how could a school kid give some reference materials to Albert Einstein) and mentioned the publication of the research in Nature journal and about how GA state has a policy of sending all the newborns born at hospital with a CD (collection of Mozart and other WCM compilations) at the time of discharge.
  Maestro immediately started telling the details about How Mozart's music stimulates Brain cells and why other music doesn't...Man I was speechless when he said " Mozart's music came spontaneously with out any motive, it just flew from him spontaneously and that 's waht is pure music and there lies the pure music coming from the heart which scientifically now is shown to stimulate the brain cells",
  "Ippo adai neenga ennai project..aa eduthu seyyasonnalo ille naane idai oru project a eduthu senjalo then I am doing with a motive which is not spontaneous and it can never be pure, and he added although I have given many songs which came out spontaneously many times, infact I have composed 10 different songs (tunes) for single lyric which have come out spontaneously but still it was ultimately reaching a producer or a director for a purpose.. So that can not be a pure music"
  Then I said ungalukku spontaneous aa appadi varra music ye ungaluku time kidaikkum podhu appdiye vezhi konduvaangalen"
  
  Then he smiled and said yes irukku irukku adhumaadhiri ellam pannalam nnu irukken niraiya cinema sambhandham illadha isai pakkama polam nnu irukken.
  
  He continued " when Mozart’s' music is played daily for 1/2 hour before kids going to school it improves their intelligence"
  
  I very badly wanted to mention Kiru's Idea of " How to listen to Maestro Ilaiyaraja's music" book write up with the help of Vel and Ravi K Ravichandran, it totally blocked out of my mind (I should have listened to his music or Mozart's music on my way driving than listening to the stupid CBS 880 traffic news...)
  Once again, my thanks go to Dr.Sankar and others who made this NY event possible... thanks to God for somehow making me involved with this project more closely, although I was involved since last year thro' Yahoo group of Dr. Vijay Venkatram
  
  I envy the other group who spent almost 5 days with him on road in the car...
  Yes "TIS" is happening for sure and will be in our hands in September and in our souls forever, it is still not too late if anybody not involved so far to contribute...
  
  I had a feeling of meeting " Albert Einstein" and "Mahatma Gandhi" the 2 other significant persons whom I always wanted to meet in person if there was a chance.
  
  Long live Maestro and his Music
  
  
  Prabhudas
  
  
• From: Gyan (@ 4.158.114.231) on: Wed May 26 23:10:58 EDT 2004
  
  Prabhudas!!!!
  
  Your thoughts are also equally spontaneous and t is very sincere to know the genuineness of your passion for music. Mozart was an orchestral genius ahead by 300 years, even today his musical energy stands out, that is why I think IR likes Mozart a lot since speed and spontaneity kinds level off or inverse after a point in the composition, but in Mozart' case it simply maintains throughout.
  
  However, while spontaneity (flow) with speed is an enviable quality and that IR appreciates, I am sure IR' primary influence is not Western music, it is Carnatic and it is great south Indian composers, especially from Kerala. It is my studied finding, it is kinda present in the compositions. You might like to ask IR next time and he will tell you that more supremely difficult music was composed for Indian films itself and there is only one composer that perhaps mystify and inspire him, surprisingly it will be MSV according to my analysis.
  
  Mozart is IR' prime Orchestral influence (I am sure that a turnaround passage for the second movement in Symphony 25 attracted IR' attention, plus the Magic flute, among a few other concertos of Mozart)
  
  only followed by Salil Choudhry (whose influence itself was primarily Mozart) and Arjunan, things which I perceive after some major comparisons of compositions.
  
  Please ask IR next time if you get a chance, the impact of Indian composers versus Mozart.
  
  Another thing I feel is, IR will not waste a single moment on a previous work. The Maestro moves on, so don't expect any background score compilation from him, only fans will have to do it. IMHAO. Even Italy, Miss World 1996, or any other completed works, IR cares a little, I think!!!
  
  
• From: kiru (@ 192.138.150.249) on: Thu May 27 16:50:01 EDT 2004
  
  Prabhudas,
  Thanks for the anecdote. I guess, it is a great experience to meet a genius. What a coincidence you also have Einstein and Gandhi as idols, like I do. I admire Einstein for his thinking and Gandhi for his sheer will power. Vel and I have not put in enough work on the book, yet. But I really would like to follow up on that.
  Since we have Gyan's attention - the crux of my impression/opinion of IR is - he likes to bring in harmony or polphonic sounds to a carnatic melody. I am pretty sure he has great respect for MSV for the melodies, but he tries to go one step further with the integration of the polyphonic concepts. One good recent example is enna solli paaduvathO. I have never heard such mind boggling integration of flute+strings before anywhere. Note, the strings/flute in this song though provide a western style harmonic background, actually sound like gamakams which the main singer should sing but are now playing in parallel.
  Coming to Mozart, I have not analysed Mozart vis-a-vis IR's orchestration. But my impression is - it is Mozart's tunes that stand out. Unlike, other WCM composers where all notes seem to have equal importance Mozart seems to have some special notes in a phrase with more weight than others. These notes are the ones that give identity to the composition and sticks in your mind. I think IR has this influence in his melodies. People here have pointed out that veettukku veedu vaasapadi vendum has Mozarts influence. But if you see, this song is a typical IRish song, only thing I can infer is IR probably has internalised this style/technique.
  Well, I espoused film music, because it can be done faster and reaches more people. I am pretty sure I will enjoy his non-filmy works as well. Anything that IR is interested in doing musically is welcome.
  
  
  
  
• From: Gyan (@ 4.158.114.202) on: Fri May 28 01:19:27 EDT 2004
  
  Hi kiru:
  
  I was no MSV fan till around late 90s, can u believe that? IR' energy levels, so many orchestration ideas never before heard, different mood pictures, sharpness in melodies, rhythms all were not MSV traits. But, as I am older I am understanding Carnatic music for the first time and hence MSV' depth, when formerly I wanted energy - Mozart and other Western classical maestro and so IR stayed my Idol because he brought more and more ideas in that sphere of music, doing much more than Western composers have done, in my opinion
  
  So, at a certain musical understanding I find MSV is very Carnatic based than most Indian composers, in fact all in the league of KVM, who was not prolific or very diverse unlike MSV but pure and pure Classical.
  
  Regards Mozart, you got the piece I left out deliberately, right. Mozart is the most unique in Western Classical, for just one significant reason - he is "melodious" and extraordinarily so. Depth, Emotion (Heaviness of Heart) from his compositions - because he gave it microtonal structure. It is close to Indian classical, which ignores polyphony or harmony, other than in film music. Mozart' melodiousness - don't confuse it with melody or beautiful tune structures (which abound in Western classical in Tchaikovsky, Haydn, Bach, Vivalid and so on.) - plus the speed brings out the spontaniety and flow.
  
  Marriage of the Figaro is a great example. But, I stick to my finding that IR is surprised that in Western Music mostly only Mozart has this melodious quality while Mozart also brought out some (a couple actually) super orchestral "sounds" or phrases, which I feel has formed the basis of most of IR' orchestral sounds. U can find it in the 25th Symphony. However, IR is IR and he has been a fountain of Tamil folk music, while opened up his mind to integrate Western classical style orchestration because of his understanding of Mozart' touching genius and also the relating to pastoral feel and mathematical precision of Bach.
  
  IR found the heavy "heart" (Mozart) and the strong "mind" (Bach) of Western classical his favorites for Orchestrational purposes, not for content!!!! Tamil folk & Carnatic was the key to his substance. If you ask me, IR does not speak of Beethoven or others in the same breath, just because most of them took years to calculate notational order, thus were not spontaneous.
  
  As far as I go now, I am enlightened about Indian Classical' harmony free structure, u need a soul, a level of spirituality to appreciate the purpose of a simple song with out Orchestra and without purpose other than to just sing! IR has got a point, there.
  
  
• From: padmagirisan,Singapore (@ 202.156.2.170) on: Fri May 28 02:31:15 EDT 2004
  
  Hai friends,
  
  It is really a surprice for me to see people talking about the great MSV,whom IR has admired very much as his sourc of inspiration.I have personaly seen that too during IR's carnatic concert at Chennai.He was sitting and greeting all the other carnatic musicians during their arrival.
  But it was for MSV that IR got up,went up to the stage entrance,hugged him,welcome him.I could see the depth of respect he has with MSV.In my view,we all, the serious music fans have forgotten the great MSV,whose songs are the representations of very deep emotions.To me MSV's and IR's songs and music are the only ones which have inspired me,motivated me,taught me and made me addicted to music.
  
  I used to say often to my music friends and lovers that MSV is Newton and IR is Einstein of common man music in India.
  
  
  
• From: prabhudas (@ 140.251.171.216) on: Fri May 28 10:22:07 EDT 2004
  
  Gyan, Kiru,
  
  Without a doubt, IR indeed has high regards for MSV as he has mentioned in many occassions and I am sure IR is inspired by MSV.
  
  Gyan, I was never a fan of MSV too till I left India till mid 90's ( My bad what a way to get exposure to another legend of TFM), it's only after coming here I have developed yearning to MSV's great melodies, trying to collect as many gems as possible.
  
  IR did sing a small bit of " Nenjam Marappadillai" song of MSV at the event in NY when he was mentioning about how music makes the magic beyond the words ( "Vaarthaigal sollamudiyaadhai isai atdhaiyum meeri sathathai udaikkum podhu...ullam urugaradille? he asked the audience)
  Guys you have to listen to the entire speech of Maestro on this event, he was at full blast, I have ripped the mp3 audio of his speech, with the help of "Thoppus" if possible I will be able to upload them for everyone by tomorrow.
  
  Waiting restlessly for his new projects
  
  Prabhudas
  
  

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