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Maestro Honour for IR

Topic started by Kumaran (@ 202.9.176.241) on Fri Feb 28 01:07:45 EST 2003.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Dear friends, We are all aware of the very honourable accolade for IR "MAESTRO". Has anyone other than IR has aquired this honour in India? What are the qualities one should possess to become a Maestro? Kindly discuss on this topic please....

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Responses:

• From: LP (@ 61.6.38.132) on: Fri Feb 28 01:59:06 EST 2003
  
  I am not sure whether this title is a self-inflicted one like IsaiGnyani.
  
  Do understand that he was NOT invited to perform the symphony but asked and paid the fees to do so.
  There lies the difference.
  
  
• From: Mumbai Ramki (@ 203.197.24.195) on: Fri Feb 28 02:30:03 EST 2003
  
  LP ,
  IsaiNyani was given by Kalaingar!!!!!
  "Do understand that he was NOT invited to perform the symphony but asked and paid the fees to do so. "-Can u prove this ??DOn't give the RPO website refernce for it ..Nobody can verify this .Please know that RPO doe snot play for the musicans .It plays only for those musicians whom they consider to be worthy
  
  
• From: noman (@ 212.138.47.27) on: Fri Feb 28 02:38:45 EST 2003
  
  I THINK 'MAESTRO' MEANS EXPERT OR EXTRAORDINARY. WE CAN TELL THE FOLLOWING PERSONS ARE MASESTROS
  
  USTAD ZAKIR HUSSEIN
  PANDIT RAVI SHANKER
  ILAIYARAJA
  A.R.RAHMAN
  USTAD BIMILLAH KHAN
  
  
  
• From: Modest (@ 203.200.197.66) on: Fri Feb 28 02:47:18 EST 2003
  
  A.R.Rehman - No way we can call him a Maestro. He doesn't deserve to be honoured with this. Originality and cultural blend is totally missing in all his compositions. He can be best called as a good sound engineer.
  
  Moreover he is not part of this topic. Be relevant.
  
  
• From: punch (@ 61.11.73.84) on: Fri Feb 28 02:56:27 EST 2003
  
  "He can be best called as a good sound engineer". Very well said.
  
  
• From: Mumbai Ramki (@ 203.197.24.195) on: Fri Feb 28 03:01:06 EST 2003
  
  Iam not sure if are the right persons to judge if somebody is a maestro or not !!!!
  
  
• From: LP (@ 61.6.38.132) on: Fri Feb 28 03:07:43 EST 2003
  
  Mumbai Ramki
  Obviously, you do not know the workings behind the scene.
  I reiterate that IR wanted the title Isai Gnyani.
  And that he paid the fees to conduct the now-missing symphony.
  
  
• From: yaaro (@ 172.180.109.212) on: Fri Feb 28 04:06:37 EST 2003
  
  Mr.LP,as usual typing rubbish without knowing facts.Here is the interview BY IR as soon as the symphony was announced.
  //Q: How did you get the offer to write a symphony?
  
  Pyramid International, a recording company based in London, asked me whether I
  would be interested in writing a symphony. Writing a symphony needs much
  concentration. I said, "If I agree to write a symphony, how do you propose to
  market it? The people there who listen to classical music do not know about
  me. How do you make it possible for them to hear my music?" They said, "You
  leave that part to us." Only then did I agree to it.
  
  That made them get in touch with several orchestras and eventually they chose
  the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), considered the best in the world, which
  plays only great Western classical composers.
  
  The RPO people said that they did not know about me. They said that I might be
  a very good composer, but what about my caliber in Western classical music? So
  complete details about me were sent to them. My two discs, 'Nothing but Wind'
  and 'How to name it,' were sent. That convinced them of my capability to write
  a symphony.// full interview at-
  http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=1993Sep10.214922.10154%40lehman.com&rnum=70&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dilayaraja%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26start%3D60%26sa%3DN
  
  
• From: yaaro (@ 172.180.109.212) on: Fri Feb 28 04:13:59 EST 2003
  
  Mr.LP,
  go ahead and write some piece of rubbish-get in touch with RPO.I personally am willing to sponsor you if they agree to play your piece.after all,pay them money,they will be happy to do anything isnt it,according to you.I am sure if I have no money,people here like mumbai ramki,SP mahendran,fliflo,ambleen,vel,selva and countless others in this forum will help me in sponsoring you.
  ONLY after this has been done(we can also pay something extra for a standing ovation at the end of performance-please inform us of a date so we can also come and watch)-you can post anything more on this topic.till then,please keep quiet.
  
  
• From: Are Yaar (@ 203.115.31.67) on: Fri Feb 28 05:13:38 EST 2003
  
  I far as I have read articles and other stuffs in net, raajangham, our famour JS and other such people directly and indirectly associated with the "Highly gaurded" piece of music - symphony.....I under line the sentence that "RPH was commissioned to play IR's music". So no invitation from RPH to IR...its IR going to RPH , paying its fee and playing his music...as he does with any other studio in India.
  
  One thing yaaro can do...NOM...
  
  You are in London (UK atleast)...you can check with RPH there and let us all know the real story.
  
  
• From: yaaro (@ 195.93.33.7) on: Fri Feb 28 05:31:25 EST 2003
  
  AY,
  I am seriously thinking about it.are you in the west?If so you will know that these chaps can act very officious and say no comments.probably the reason why the symphony has not come out(note that I dontsay 'never came out')will join the mysteries of tamil filmdom like what really happened when MGR was shot,why MSV and VR split,why IR and MR split!
  
  
• From: selva (@ 195.107.47.225) on: Fri Feb 28 08:36:18 EST 2003
  
  
  By pure coincidence, I happened to find this in a thread in newtfmpage. Maybe it is relevant here!!!
  
  From: yaaro (@ 213.121.212.121) on: Fri Mar 29 06:44:20 EST 2002
  
  
  about this maestro thing-
  This is not something IR's fans have given IR.It was from the letter from RPO commissioning for the symphony(or tellin him that he can go ahead or whatever)that called him Maestro Ilayarraja.Kamal read this lettr in the press meeting called to announce about the symphony and the hindu article specifically mentioned this.So, will you ARR fans get out of your idea that this is a title given by IR's fans(in the lines of isai gnani?).This was the manner in which RPO called IR recognising his true worth.
  
  
  
• From: doubter (@ 208.142.210.30) on: Fri Feb 28 09:20:20 EST 2003
  
  Are Yaar
  
  Do you think RPH will conduct and play any(body's) music if you pay them enough?
  
  
• From: Razia (@ 128.107.253.38) on: Fri Feb 28 09:21:08 EST 2003
  
  MAESTRO is not a award. It is a very general term like GENIUS or WIZARD. Any eminently talented person can be called a MAESTRO . For that matter, anybody is free to call ARR as a MAESTRO. But remember - DEFAULT VALUE FOR MAESTRO IS ILAIYARAJA.
  
  
  
• From: krk (@ 128.107.253.38) on: Fri Feb 28 09:38:21 EST 2003
  
  Well said, Razia.
  
  
• From: Villain (@ 203.106.139.111) on: Fri Feb 28 11:01:22 EST 2003
  
  Onnum illaathatharkku (symPHONY) ivvalavu aarpaattamaa?
  
  One day, 10 years down the lane, some clown is going to claim that Raakkamma kaiya thattu was voted the best song in the world and all the IR fans are going to stand around clapping their own hands.
  
  Gnyaani, Symphony, Tony, Boney, ellaam phoney....
  
  
• From: perspectiver (@ 195.93.33.7) on: Fri Feb 28 16:18:45 EST 2003
  
  
  few paragraphs from an article on IR, a viewpoint worth looking into,
  
  
  Taking Stock of the Nineties
  
  Accolades notwithstanding, the nineties saw a drop in the number of Ilayaraaja's "hit" movies. It was a period that ushered in newcomers to the field, notably A. R. Rehman, who at the time was felt to have replaced Ilayaraaja as far as satisfying "modern and youthful" musical taste was concerned. Rehman was hailed as the Isai Puyal (Musical Storm) soon after his very first film Roja (1992) became a smash hit. Also making a quieter, but equally sure entry was Deva, rewarded with an affectionate title Thenisai Thendral (melodic breeze). While Rehman continues to compose music for only a few films per year, Deva's annual output has seen a steady increase. Although Ilayaraaja continues to have fiercely loyal fans among Tamil film music lovers, he is no longer in the "Number 1" spot held by him for fifteen years, from his entry in1976 to 1991, the year both Chinnathambi and Dhalapathi were released. The public response to the music of those two films marks a zenith never to be reached again. The years 1992-1994 may be looked upon as the crest before the crash of the popularity wave. These years saw hit songs spread over some movies notably Chembaruththi, Mannan, Singaravelan, Thevar magan (1992) Ponnumani, Thalaattu, Valli, Yejaman (1993), Mahanadhi, and Veera (1994)
  
  How can one reconcile the impressive titles and the sudden come down in Ilayaraaja's popularity? One line of reasoning is simply that music lovers in Tamil Nadu are given to lavishing high praise and titles without truly understanding his genius. While the composer kept maturing, the majority of his listeners fell behind, simply because they could not keep up with him—rather like university students who drop out of a demanding program of study and prefer to enroll in a tutorial college! The title Isaignani is meaningless if one stops listening to "the one who knows". Unfortunately, more and more ears are closing to his music. The reasons for this strange "betrayal" of a composer whose music is only getting better are complex and worth exploring in depth. But even a cursory attempt reveals the inescapable truth that Ilaiyaraaja's acumen is beyond the grasp of not only popular taste but also ears tuned to classical music, both Carnatic and western, in India.
  
  
  
• From: perspectiver2 (@ 195.93.33.7) on: Fri Feb 28 16:21:40 EST 2003
  
  and more........
  
  
  Vox Populi
  
  The commercial medium of cinema satisfies a taste that by its very nature is change-seeking and therefore changeable. Moreover, popular taste has a threshold of tolerance for aesthetics. If the art form is too demanding, popular taste begins to reject it. Every facet of Ilayaraaja's music has been improving so much that it has transcended the threshold of popular taste. In fact, some of his music composed after 1991 is clearly beyond the comprehension of film audiences who represent popular taste. To take an example, for a song in the film Maya Bazaar (1995) Ilayaraaja uses a capella, i.e. choral voices unaccompanied by instruments. The use of this technique in a tune that is at once Indian and Mozartian is nothing short of a stroke of genius, since it is so appropriate to the situation. The heroine, a sorceress, accompanied by her assistants, is trying to frighten and impress her clients in the scene. The effect is cunningly riotous and stunningly melodious. For those who have followed his growth as a composer, 1995 notched yet another high mark. How unfortunate that so many of his brilliant compositions in and after 1995 sank without a trace of recognition. It must be pointed out, however, that a good number of songs were not in this "demanding" category. How can one explain the neglect of Amman Koyil Ellaame (Rajavin Paarvaiyile 1995); Marudhani Chaareduthu (Ilaiyaraagam 1995); Unnai Paadatha Naavum (Rettai Roja, 1996); Namma Manasupola Amainju Pochchu Vaazhvu (Themmaangu Paatukkaaran, 1997); Vaanaththth Thaarakaiyo (Poonthottam, 1998) or Vayasup Pullay vayasup Pullay Vaadi Koyilukku (Annan, 1999)? Is it not simply because the habit of listening to Ilayaraaja was broken and the interest in him lost?
  
  
  
• From: perspectiver3 (@ 195.93.33.7) on: Fri Feb 28 16:27:52 EST 2003
  
  even more.....
  
  Closing Thoughts
  
  Ilayaraaja's creative energy is probably immune to adulation or academic discussions. He has said time and again that his music is a gift from God. Earlier in the article, it was hinted that he underwent a fundamental personality change when his popularity had catapulted him to the number one spot in the early 1980s. This change was a spiritual awakening that insulated him from the pressures of the commercial world of cinema, sustained his creative energy, and strengthened his resolve to remain true to his art. Why, under these circumstances, does Ilayaraaja continue to chain himself to the Tamil film world? In fact, he has, on occasion broken free. But has he been heard? What is there to guarantee that if he now decides to make a clean break, he might not sink further into oblivion?
  
  Among those who hear my music
  
  Even if a single listener says:
  
  "He has poured his very soul into these songs!"
  
  I would feel bliss, as I would have then realized
  
  The purpose of my janma
  
  (Free translation from Tamil of an excerpt from the Introduction by Ilayaraaja to Geethanjali, his anthology of devotional songs)
  
  The words above reflect Ilayaraaja's bond with his music and with his creator. He would be none the poorer if more and more ears begin to close to his music. However, if the opportunity to understand and learn from this brilliant and peerless composer is missed, the world will have lost a chance to push the frontiers of musical sensibility.
  
  
  

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