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Why is Raja afraid to release his Symphony Music?

Topic started by Srikanth (@ 120.minneapolis-06.mn.dial-access.att.net) on Sun Dec 28 21:42:11 EST 1997.
All times in EDT/EST +9:30/10:30 for IST.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: SHYAM SEKHAR (@ 203.197.130.44) on: Sun Oct 4 09:50:34 EDT 1998
  
  Well it is a known fact that Ananda Vikatan chose to rake up the non release of symphony more as a sensationalist move.
  
  The real problem is there is no BHARAT BALA to promote IR. IR is not music video material. He speaks with his music and is comportable being incognito.
  He cant possible grow hair b cause sony music insisted on it as a cortact term.With due respect to ARR, he is a sensationalist. He understands technology well. Although KARTHIK RAAJA should not have said it- i hold it that ARR is a sound specialist first and his composing is only emerging and has to prove itself.
  
  In an era where marketing is everything, IR has missed the bus.By choice of course.
  
  But, if he does work on maruthanayagam, you can see spectacular music.
  Even without that,
  pls hear
  manam virumbuthe unnai, Desiya geetham - all released now. Blockbuster music which hopefully wont be wasted by directors.
  
  SONY MAY NOT SIGN RAAJA. ARR MAY take the great Bharatiyar and shove him up his computer , crron lyrics and BHARATBALA WILL make a MUSIC VIDEO.
  
  But IR will stand the test of time.
  
  shyam
  
  
• From: Srikanth (@ slip-32-101-16-226.il.us.ibm.net) on: Sun Oct 4 10:55:41 EDT 1998
  
  Shayam:
  It is unwarrented to bring to Arr here, also as you say computer music programming is not easy my dear friend.
  
  As a fan I have the right to ask about his Symphony, awards were given to him even before people hearing it, he has to justify this there is no meaning for all the festival that too place in Madras when he said he has done the Symphony.
  
  Where is the symphony,why the hell he is hiding it from people, if it is so great why not bring it out. I have started to belive there is no symphony done by Raja.
  
  Go and Ask about this to Raja instead throwing acid on other MDS.
  Srikanth
  
  
• From: Please_excuse_me (@ elroy.cs.wisc.edu) on: Sun Oct 4 16:53:23 EDT 1998
  
  Srikanth:
  IMO, concluding that IR never composed a symphony is throwing acid at him.
  
  
• From: Please_be_patient (@ gatesb02-mac-13.stanford.edu) on: Sun Oct 4 20:05:50 EDT 1998
  
  Srikanth,
  Raja is probably reluctant to release his symphony right now because, he may not be sure how well it is going to be received. Put urself in HIS position. He has spent years in the composing world, he has struggled hard to make it to the point he has reached now. And all along he had the ambition of writing a full-fledged symphony. Now imagine the scenario now. Every "Tom D**k and Harry" is passing judgements and many public r not even in a mood to pay any attention to Raja's music. Don't u think that he will be very cautious in choosing the right moment to release his symphony so that max. junta can listen to it?
  I think he is preparing the audiences to appreciate W.Classical music, with albums like guru and avatharam. Let him release it when the time is ripe. We shall wait for it.
  
  
• From: Shashi (@ fw1xlate1.mayo.edu) on: Sun Oct 4 22:58:07 EDT 1998
  
  Hello!
  
  I have always had this doubt about Raja's Symphony.
  
  Didn't Raja compose the symphony on the request of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. If so why are they not performing it more often? (I had once seen some information on the net that it was performed atleast once--I think it was an Indian who requested or something like that)
  Where are the reviews on this performance (since most new symphonies performed by RPO would be reviewed I assume); Wouldn't this be an exciting new artists work to write about? Shouldn't there be more talk in the British press or atleast in the WCM world?
  
  Lastly I may be wrong but doesn't the person who requests the composer to compose (like a Producer signing Raja) own the compostion? My understanding has always been that the composer is given an amount for composing +/- royalties. Am I way off in my thinking?
  
  Any thoughts?
  
  
• From: The Fan (@ spider-tr033.proxy.aol.com) on: Sun Oct 4 23:24:33 EDT 1998
  
  Please be patient: You are right. that is what someone pointed out. a symphony is a western thing. unless IR is popular for his earlier works, no one in the west is going to attend a IR concert. It is like Lata Mangeshkar, she is the guiness book, but is her songs marketed in the form that a western listener can appreciate? The idiom is entirely different, so how can westerners knows of Lata. I would say that same for IR, until he is known everywhere for a certain universal popular form of music, IR' symphony or at future attempts at western classical music cannot find a profitable market. That is why I feel IR should first take up a Hollywood film assignment or produce a pop album with a western singer or group. I know that there are enough quality pop groups that have studied his music. It is time that IR went totally international and spend less time on Indian films. That is just pleasing the fast vanishing crowd of melody listeners in India.
  
  the fact is whatever IR is very much afraid to release his symphony. If it is the level of a Mozart or Beetheven synphony IR should not hesitate to release it at all as this can find conductors such as Zubin Mehta anxious to promote India.
  
  I don't think Royal Philharmonic cares much if IR is going to take any initiative or not. They have enough programs going on right now, and would not want a Indian to come around and disturb that.
  
  This is a call for Amritraj productions to look at.
  
  
  
  
  
• From: Srinivas (@ scproxy3.sc.intel.com) on: Mon Oct 5 14:30:14 EDT 1998
  
  The Fan:
  I agree with u that it may be a good move for IR to take up a Hollywood assignment to get some publicity in the West. Or maybe if Marudanayagam gets popular in the West, Raja may get some publicity. We can only wait and watch.
  However, some select people including (several MDs) have heard the syphony. In fact, even ARR in one of his early interviews had madea srmt to the effect that "...and his latest work, syphony, I think it is great" or sthing like that. Frontline magazine had also written a series of articles in which it was mentioned that the syphony by IR was getting "rave reviews" in England. So, I continue to be very optimistic about the quality of the work. However, I am not sure about how well it is going to be received esp in this age of Rock/Pop.
  
  Srinivas
  
  
• From: SR Kaushik (@ nova4.cs.wisc.edu) on: Mon Oct 5 15:41:10 EDT 1998
  
  Guys, whatever else is true, it is absurd to say that "no symphony was ever composed". I know IR's drummer, Mr.Purushottam. He has heard the master copy and was of course, singing praises. Of course, if you say he listened to Mozart's symphony and thought it was IR's, I have no answer for that.
  
  
• From: Shashi (@ eed02990.mayo.edu) on: Mon Oct 5 17:26:05 EDT 1998
  
  Hello again
  
  The question is how long are we to be patient?
  
  I have a small problem with 'The Fan's' view; i.e I agree the attendence for IR's symphony performed in the west is going to be less for the reason he is not well known in the WC music circles. But if that is the case WHY DID RPO WANT HIM TO WRITE A SYMPHONY? There is something fishy here. My own thoughts are that if RPO really requested Raja to write a symphony--they think what he wrote does not meet their needs/specifications (I dont want to use the word substandard since art is subjective) or Raja was really not approached by RPO to write a symphony but Raja had the idea that he should write a symphony and after negotiations RPO agreed to conduct and record it.
  
  The example about Lata by 'The Fan' is also not directly applicable in this case. The reason Lata is not much appreciated here (inspite of her Guiness record) is that her songs are not in a category which the western audience are used to. But Raja has done a symphony which is a Western classical musical category quite familiar to the western world.
  
  I am writing all this is because of the concern that we are going to end up not listening to it at all or listening to it at a time when I am less likely to care (hope this does not happen).
  
  I think Ananda Vikatan's sensationalism or Srikanth's frustration can be looked at as forms of using the 'reverse psychology'. That is, instead of begging and requesting Raja to release the symphony to dramatically turn around and say that there is no symphony at all. May be in that way Raja might feel pushed to show that he actually did compose a symphony just to prove that he is speaking the truth.
  
  Whichever way you choose to approach it--something definitely has to be done. Patience so far has not been fruitful so why not try a different tactic.
  
  Finally why nobody seems to know who owns the symphony--RPO must own it if they requested Raja to write it; OTOH Raja may own it if he just used RPO to play his symphony and record it!!
  
  
• From: Srinivas (@ scproxy3.sc.intel.com) on: Mon Oct 5 17:51:18 EDT 1998
  
  Dear Sashi,
  It is quite unwarranted to make conjectures about the symphony even before you have heard it.
  It is also wrong to conjecture that Raja himself approached RPO etc. My take on the matter is that Raja does not want to release it yet, because he feels that his market is down.
  As to why it has not been performed by RPO, Raja himself may have requested them NOT to perform it as he may have been waiting for a big Brand name to release it with adequate publicity, and he did not want people to have "previews" of
  this work.
  As to copyrights, I think that the rights for any musical work rest predominantly with the composer.
  
  Again this is speculation on my part. But, I would not like any negative comments being made without any basis, esp when we do not have all the facts before us.
  
  
• From: Shashi (@ eed02990.mayo.edu) on: Mon Oct 5 18:18:59 EDT 1998
  
  Dear Srinivas
  
  I appreciate the possibility that Raja may have requested RPO not to perform his symphony--I did not think in those terms.
  
  But dont say that it is wrong to conjecture about Raja approching RPO--accept it as a possibility just as I accept Raja may have requested RPO not to perform (your assumption)
  
  I dont understand this discussion about his market being down. Firstly it is just a possibility that this may reverse--what if it does not? Secondly I would imagine that most people would release something phenomenonal especially when their market is down--What does the cliche 'to have an ace rolled up in ones sleeves' mean then?
  
  As to the copyrights again I am confused. Everytime a Raja song is played on the TV a sum of money has to be paid to the film producer or distributor but not to Raja. Same is with movies; the director does not get any money for his movie being telecast nor does the actors. It is only the producer who gets it. Doesn't this mean the rights are with the person who produced the work?
  
  I am sorry if people my comments are negative. They are not to hurt anybody personally. However when considering possibilities one must be open minded and accept possibilities which may have positive or negative implications.
  
  
• From: Srinivas (@ scproxy3.sc.intel.com) on: Mon Oct 5 18:51:10 EDT 1998
  
  Dear sashi,
  Sorry if I have offended you in any way.
  
  That Raja requested RPO not to perform his symphony is pure speculation on my part. I am willing to consider all other possibilities (including negative ones), but we do not have ALL the facts before us. That is the only reason why IMHO conjecture at this stage may not be very fruitful.
  
  At the time the symphony was composed. there were a series of articles in Frontline, in which it was mentioned that RPO themselves approached Raja, having been impressed by his work in HTNI and NBW.
  In the absence of anything to the contrary or any fact that seems to indicate the opposite, any speculation about how Raja may have landed the assignment takes on a negative connotation.
  
  Added to this : Your hint that RPO was in some way "dissatisfied" and "expectations not being fulfilled" adds more negative implications.
  
  As to why Raja is reluctant to release his symphony : It is his decision. Whether it is a smart move or not is debatable. I am NOT for a moment supporting the delay. But I am willing to give maxmimum leeway to Raja, because it is understandable that as his "Magnum Opus", he may be exercising maximum thought/caution before its release.
  I am inclined to agree with your views on
  "Ace up the sleeve". But the fact is that there is no market for WC music either in India or abroad.
  So no matter, how great a work the symphony is : I will not be surprised if it is not a great commercial success. People may just dismiss it off saying "Oh, It is only instrumental". Honestly, how many people in India (even in US) listen to W.Classical music (even by greats such as Mozart).
  These days, symphony orchestras are forced to support themselevs by performances and concerts.
  Classical CDs and tapes have hardly any market.
  In such a scenario, Raja MAY be thinking that people are more likely to listen to his symphony, when his market share in film music has increased. Then the market for the symphony may emerge out of the existing market for IR's film music. Or he may be waiting for a big brand name such as Sony to offer to release it with adequate publicity.
  
  Again, I am sorry if there was any personal offence in my remarks.
  Srinivas
  
  

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