Maestro ilaiyaraaja news & titbits

[dochu]

When money and fame comes, responsibility should come as well.
ARR seems to terribly lack in it.

[dochu]

When money and fame comes, responsibility should come as well.
ARR seems to terribly lack in it.

[lydayaxobia976]

Have you read Mr T.சௌந்தர் article about தமிழ் சினிமா இசையில் அகத்தூண்டுதல் and தமிழ்த்திரை இசையில் ராகங்கள். Must read for raja sir fans and real music lovers. www.inioru.com under இலக்கியம்/சினிமா

[irir123]

When money and fame comes, responsibility should come as well. ARR seems to terribly lack in it.

"forgive them, for they know not what they do"

It is not about responsibility - it is about the ability to articulate oneself appropriately enough to garner respect and enough ears.

IR while he may sound abrasive at times - am not at all a fan of IR's speeches which often leave me either confounded, tear my hair in exasperation, or are frustrating - has always been consistently crystal clear when it comes to responding to technical questions, when asked appropriately - his comments on counterpoints is one such example. Anyone asks IR a BS question will get a BS answer - avar kitta poi "unga ilamaiyin ragasiyam enna ?" nnu ketta, "sittu kuruvi legiyam" nu solradhukku avaru yenna namma oorla ulla niraiya saamiyaargalla oruthharaa ? kelvi kekkaradhukku oru varamura venum - sari adha vidunga.

So far, I have not heard ARR say anything about his or anyone else's music, leave alone IR's in a manner that would give one a glimpse into either his knowledge or his ability to articulate his knowledge - that is a fact - instead, only because he is bound by contractual obligations, he makes statements like these, under the garb of diplomacy, but in the end, his words come across as pretentious at the most. The trouble is - he can speak like this and doing so will likely not affect his standing in the market! thats where the rub is!

[dochu]

@irir123
Agree. We all have our favorites. I have IR and someone else ARR. Nothing wrong with that.

As you said, he is quite pretentious. That's what bothers me. He used catchy western tunes to shot to limelight. I have never seen his answer to any question on his plagiarism (if at all that chance was given to the reporter). To me, I would consider it quite disgraceful to accept oscars, when you have stole (and still) others intellectual property.

How can one with good frame of mind, stamp as composer for a song when blatantly copied? That's where the rub is for me from him.

[lydayaxobia976]

Hi guys , have you manage to read the T Sounther's articles? Pls comment. I have been coming to this forum for long time , mostly I don't make a comment . I just come to get information about Raja sir or about his music. When I went to Sirs Canada I did like to meet likely minded people ,did not get any response . Same as I have opened a topic about London concert not even a single response . For me Raja sir has most fans in India, but we don't have platform to share our thoughts ,or information. I am not saying we have to open a fan club, I am sure we don't have enough time listen to his songs.

In uk as you guys know we follow football madly. It's not only a hobby ,it's a family thing mostly. In a football forum each club discuss separately ,even though people from other clubs make comment , mostly the are ignored or chased out. So we could discuss freely about our club and players.

I have read director subas article , like he said I am the greatest Raja fan on the planet( every raja fan think they are) . So is there place for us to discuss with out kosuthollai.

[vem]

Guys,
We all are fans of IR's music, need not necessarily be of IR as a person. The same goes to ARR. To everyone, he is correct, and hence ARR may have his opinion, as should our IR. So, it's useless to keep talking about someone's interview.

I'm not seeing much on Onayum Attukuttiyum reviews lately...

Megha is a wonderful album, and I keep listening to the songs in awe.

Is there any big budget offerings from IR in the offing ?

[venkkiram]

Guys,
We all are fans of IR's music, need not necessarily be of IR as a person. The same goes to ARR. To everyone, he is correct, and hence ARR may have his opinion, as should our IR. So, it's useless to keep talking about someone's interview.

I'm not seeing much on Onayum Attukuttiyum reviews lately...

Megha is a wonderful album, and I keep listening to the songs in awe.

Is there any big budget offerings from IR in the offing ?

ஊடகங்களில் வராது. அந்த அளவுக்கு விமர்சனம் செய்ய இசையறிவு நம்மிடம் இல்லை. ஓநாயும் ஆட்டுக்குட்டியும் பட பின்னணி இசைத் துண்டுகள் எல்லாம் உலகத் தரம். ஜான் வில்லியம்ஸ் போன்ற மேதைகள் கேட்ட வேண்டிய ஒன்று. பாக், மொசார்ட், பீத்தோவன் போன்ற ஜாம்பவான்கள் மேலுலகில் இருந்து கொண்டு ரசித்து ரசித்து கேட்டுக் கொண்டு இருப்பார்கள்.

[Brianengab]

[stULana]

Here is an excellent review by Ravi Natarajan on IR's music for Mysskin's Onayum Aatukuttiyum. Mysskin could release them for free..as he is the producer too (and does not mind losing the money).
IR's Original Score (BGM) for download: http://www.lonewolfproductions.in/downloadbgm.jsp

Review by Ravi Natarajan:
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ravinat on Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:23 am
I did not react to NEPV, nor to Megha or any films in between. It's not that I did not appreciate Raja's work on those films. To me, they struck me as his normal work that he has done for the past 5 decades. However, Raja has demonstrated something so unique now, that no composer has done from India. This is perhaps the best strings arrangement I have heard in decades. He clearly reminds those who have forgotten that here comes the emperor of orchestration. Such scores rekindle my pride for being a fan of Raja.

Firstly, Mysskin deserves all kudos for making this happen. He has insisted that only Raja should compose the BGM for this film. I will compare this score with some of the finest from John Williams as I cannot think of anyone living today to draw a parallel. I like, collect and watch a number of JW scored Hollywood films. Both Raja and JW have similar working styles, though Raja is extremely fast compared to JW. Both of them have a rock solid understanding of WCM.

The film has 10 BGM tracks.

1. Compassion - Starts off with a lone guitar and a solo violin. Just 23 seconds - reminds you of the 'Schindler's List', though it has less melancholy.

2. Firefly - This is 38 seconds long. It has some pretty intense strings and double bass and cellos. Too short is the only complaint.

3. Growl - This is 36 seconds long - Again, some intense thriller music with double bass, cellos and violins. The emotions from the firefly and the growl tracks are very different that only a maestro can deliver within half minute.

4. Threshold Guardian - Not sure, why this track is called the way it is. Without watching a film, it is hard to tell. The solo violin leads the pack three fourths of the way (1:11 min). The backing harmony arrangement of this track is world class. All new composers must take a few lessons from this track. Kudos to whoever played the solo violin on this track and others (Prabhakar?). The remaining 25% of the track length is pure harmony with strings.

5. The Grim Reaper - Again another track with only 32 seconds of music. This is also heavy on double bass and cellos. Reminds me of Jerry Goldsmith's 'Omen'.

6. I killed an angel - This is one of the finest tracks in the collection. This is the type of track only Raja is capable of. Starts off with a solo violin in a repenting mood. A group of violins respond to the solo violin's sadness. Is that supposed to mean consoling the main character for realizing the mistake? I am just guessing based on what Mysskin said in his recent film launch.

7. Fairy Tale - This is fortunately more than 5 minutes and 16 seconds long. This starts off with a lone violin playing in harmony with the background violins. However, the mood is not one of melancholy, but one that is narrative (same instrumentation, different colors, emotions - that's what happens when it is handled by a maestro). For the first time, after 2 minutes, the flute joins the foray. The background violins and harmony continue, reminding me of some Hey Ram scores. The flute parts are just very soothing, perhaps meant to describe a different stage of a fairy (the first stage being handled by the solo violin). There is a brief silence and another stage of the fairy is narrated by a group of violins in harmony with background violins. Again another brief silence. The mood suddenly shifts to something very jubilant, with the double bass and the cellos joining the fray. The last parts remind you of some of the Marupadiyum score. Also, it reminds me of the stage of the lone horse getting trapped in the battle field in War Horse (JW). One of the top tracks in this album.

8. Walking through Life and Death - This is 4:37 in length. As the title suggests, Raja is describing a span of life challenged by some dark events. This starts off with violins (reminds me of the opening score of Jurassic Park). With the flutes, cellos joining the orchestra, and later by the double bass, oboe, it is ideal for shots that span a wide landscape/cityscape. This progresses for a minute followed by a high pitch violin, normally to sound a marked departure from routine. What follows this is the waves of sound with violins (some scores of JW in Jaws, Once upon a time in Tibet, had this characteristic) that I have never heard in Indian BGMs. I have always longed for such treatment for Indian films. Raja delivers a great score that makes Indian movies no less than any Hollywood flicks. The 30 odd seconds of repeated waves of violin will stay in my mind for a very long time. The final parts are played on the piano perhaps signifying something dark. Ideal for a zoom shot that completes the journey. Another top track.

9. Redemption - This is 1:01 in length. Starts off with a simple piano tune. The solo violin and the background harmony takes over and alternates with the piano. The piano signifies perhaps past action and the solo violin signifies the present and the harmony can show how one tries to bridge the past and the present. The only complaint: too short.

10. Somebody loves us all - This is for 3:35. This track simply hit me on the melody just on the first hearing. This track closely resembles Marupadiyum score in arrangement, though the melody is different. Having heard Raja several hundred times, I will not risk guessing the emotions that he may be conveying in this part. I like the silence between the violins and where the piano starts. The violins play beautifully between the piano strokes. It takes a master to arrange this part. The solo violin takes over playing the same melody the track started with in a different octave. The violin group plays the first melody in response. Ideally, this type of music is ideal for the final summary of the narration. I was reminded of the horse coming back to its old place in the sunset in the final scenes of War Horse. I liked that JW score the most in WH and I like this the most in OA.

Raja has spoiled me over the years by training my ears to expect the unexpected. With these kind of scores, he has set the bar so high that even the peak is invisible. He has scaled a new peak and most observers are still behind his past peak. Most of the general listeners think that he has descended from his peak. Scores like this tells us that he is scaling new heights that observers behind his past peak have no idea about.

I will not be surprised if this score goes unappreciated by any reward committee as they are also behind his past peaks. It is up to every listener to elevate himself/herself to see his constant ascent in musical quality.
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Soul-stirring pure orchestral music by IR. Best WCM from India, and with Raaja's trademarks, making it IR's music