To commemorate the 75th birthday of Ilayraaja the Film producer's council, Chennai is organising a two day celebrations at Nandnam YMCA grounds today Feb 2nd and tomorrow Feb3rd, 2019. The phliharmonic Symphony Orchestra from Budapest has arrived at Chennai to participate in the concert.
Ilyaraaja is the greatest composer of India and widely acclaimed all over the world. At this time I thought I would share with you what other great celebrity giants have said about this great composer. I feel geniuses like him appear in the world once in a millineum. He has a divine gift. He is endowed with many talents, he is a vocalist, instrumentalist (plays many string instruments,woodwind instruments and few percussion instruments), composer, writes notations, does arrangments, orchestration, conducts orchestra and above all he is a lyricist too. His BGM scores for movies are incredible. Experts and people who know him closely says he writes scores without playing any insturment and gives them straight to the Orchestra. It is also said his RR scores would never overlap with other sound effects. He would watch the movie only once and immediately write the RR score. It would start and end precisely. The score flows from his mind. This ability is something akin to the great western clssical composer Beethoven who created his masterpieces when he was completely deaf. He could not hear his own compositions. But they were world's best symphony compositions.
I don't know about the nuances of Music, yet I feel his greatest success lies in blending Indian classicl carnatic ragas with western orchestration that appeals to a lay music buff. Many of his songs are immortal. It is said he has composed over 9000 songs and scored music for over 1000 films. A feat that can not be beaten for another century by any other composer anywhere in the world. All the songs are gems. Many of his popular songs were composed in few minutes.
What they said about Ilayaraja
RI JAYENDRA SARASWATHI SWAMIGAL (Spiritual Guru , India )," Ilaiyaraja has plans to bring about good changes in the society, through his music. His music is capable of putting the mind at peace and serenity."
SEMANGUDI SRINIVASA AYYAR (Eminent Carnatic Vocalist, India) - " Raja has that unique gift to please common man and carnatic experts alike.Until recently, I knew that Shri Ilayaraaja is a great film music director - his expertise in diluting Carnatic Ragas without diluting their native merits, is well known to me - but recently I had the oppurtunity to listen to him sing a few kirthanas - he sang a kirthana in Raag Abhogi - very well rendered - in Carnatic Sangeet, one needs to know the Sahityam - without knowing it, one should not sing it making it sound absurd - Isai gyani Shri.Ilayaraaja sang it very beautifully and his grasp of the Sahityam is commendable. After today, I realise that Shri.Ilayaraaja is a thorough expert in Carnatic music. May the God Almighty bless Isai Gyani with a long life so that he can render a long service to music."
SEMANGUDI SRINIVASA AYYAR (Eminent Carnatic Vocalist, India) - " Raja has that unique gift to please common man and carnatic experts alike.Until recently, I knew that Shri Ilayaraaja is a great film music director - his expertise in diluting Carnatic Ragas without diluting their native merits, is well known to me - but recently I had the oppurtunity to listen to him sing a few kirthanas - he sang a kirthana in Raag Abhogi - very well rendered - in Carnatic Sangeet, one needs to know the Sahityam - without knowing it, one should not sing it making it sound absurd - Isai gyani Shri.Ilayaraaja sang it very beautifully and his grasp of the Sahityam is commendable. After today, I realise that Shri.Ilayaraaja is a thorough expert in Carnatic music. May the God Almighty bless Isai Gyani with a long life so that he can render a long service to music."
LARY BAIN(
LALGUDI JAYARAMAN (Eminent Musician,
Dr.BALAMURALIKRISHNA (Eminent
K.J.YESUDASS (Eminent Film/Carnatic Vocalist,
VAALI (South Indian Lyricist/Poet,
ZUBIN MEHTA (Music Conductor,
JOSEPH EAGER, (Conductor, World
VICTOR RANGEL RIBEIRO,( musicologist and author of Baroque
STEPHEN DAVIS (of
SHERYAR MOOKERJEE,( a Mumbai based musicologist, India ) - ,"Bach's influence is deep and all pervasive in his music. He is adept at using conventional western harmony and standard western techniques. Uses dialogue and imitation extensively. He has a competent grasp of the orchestra. His conspicuous quality is his ability to so integrate the Indian and western idioms that the seams can hardly be noticed and the result is usually pleasant, charming and satisfying. Ilaiyaraaja's music is enjoyable and worth taking very seriously. It grows on one with repeated hearings".
LASLOV KOVACH,(Conductor,Budapest Symphony Orchestra , Hungary ) - ,"He is Hollywood Kind. A very special composer. It seems he does not have to think at all to create music. Music just flows out."
RAJKUMAR SANTOSHI (Noted Film Maker,India ) (on Background music by Maestro Ilaiyaraja for his film Lajja) - ,"The discipline of the 90 musicians, the conductor and the recording engineers of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra in Hungary was overwhelming. The musicians gave a standing ovation after recording the scores written by Ilaiyaraja."
Iowa State University , Iowa , United States of America ) - ,"A fascinating blend of Eastern and Western styles. The music is instantly appealing -- rhythmically, harmonically, formally. The use of traditional Indian instruments in a modern musical context makes for a rich palette of tone colors and creates a wide range of expressive possibilities"
LASLOV KOVACH,(Conductor,
RAJKUMAR SANTOSHI (Noted Film Maker,
MARK LAYCOCK, (Director of Orchestral Activities,
'
NAUSHAD ALI (doyen of hindi film music, India )- ,"That this man has achieved is 100 times more than what any of us have achieved; only time can tell the quantum of his achievements"
HARIPRASAD CHAURASIA, (exponent of Hindustani Classical Music , India ) - ," It is a treat watching him (Mr.Ilayaraaja) work - he does everything, composing, arrangement of instruments, orchestration and conducting - that too without the help of any assistants and a stopwatch."
L.SUBRAMANIAM (ViolinMaestro , India )-,"Ilayaraaja is as good as any composer in the world"
L.SUBRAMANIAM (Violin
SUDHA RAGUNATHAN (Eminent Carnatic Vocalist , India )," Yesterday, today or tommorrow, ilaiyaraaja will remain the unquestionable emperor of music period !!! "
MADHAN (Noted Cartoonist, Writer, film critic,
R.V.UDAIYAKUMAR (Noted Film Maker,
PAARTHIBAN (Noted Film Maker, Actor,
KAMALHAASAN (Noted Actor, Film Maker, India) - ",Ilaiyaraja should be honored as Isai Vigyani (musical scientist) rather than Isai gyani.He has explored and analyzed virtually every type of music.I have worked with several composers. But this man is on his own trip - he is a colossal talent. We have worked together in around 70 films and we know each other's requirements and expectations very well. He saw the rushes of the film (Hey Ram!) just once and immediately decided the music to be scored for the song sequences that have already been picturised. I told my film crew to give me a week's time and that I will come back with one song in that time- instead I came back with seven songs"
HARIHARAN,( Playback Singer, India),"Ilaiyaraja's style is very different. He has been heavily influenced by the classical compositions of Mozart and Bach."
CHANDRAHASAN,( Film Producer, India)," His music is precious. Mere dishing out of money wont get you such quality music."
A.R.REHMAN ( Music Composer,
KARTHIK RAJA ( Music Composer, India)," He has composed in so many idioms, his work spans such a wide spectrum that there will always some resemblance to something he has already done"
UTTAM SINGH (Music Composer,
SUHASINI MANIRATNAM (Eminent Actress,
THANGAR BACHAAN (Cinematographer, Film Maker, India )," Once I finish shooting my film, i just place it before ilaiyaraja, and from there on whatever he delivers is music. I dont need to worry about it anymore. I shudder to even think about Indian film music without ilaiyaraaja. "
VAMSY (Noted Film Maker,India ) - "While picturizing a song, iIaiyaraja's tunes inspire me more than the characters of the film themselves."
BHARATHIRAAJA (Noted Film Maker,India ) - " I shoot scenes with a particular impact in mind. And even before i discuss about what i have in mind, he is already ready with mind boggling BGM bits."
MANIRATNAM (Noted Film Maker, India ) - "Ilaiyaraja is absolutely prolific. He is an amazing talent who believes that the music written down by him should be stuck to totally. And then it is recorded which is just a matter of execution. I wish I could be like Ilaiyaraja and work out everything on paper."
VAMSY (Noted Film Maker,
BHARATHIRAAJA (Noted Film Maker,
Courtsey (TFMpage.com)
My other posts about Ilayaraaja
https://outshine-ga-ga.blogspot.com/2009/11/ilayaraja-musical-wizard.html
https://outshine-ga-ga.blogspot.com/2008/06/ilayaraaja-invincible-mastero.html
ilayaraja.html
https://outshine-ga-ga.blogspot.com/2009/12/bachan-on-ilayaraja.html