Ilayaraaja 75

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."

LARY BAIN( England Based Composer)-"He is unbelievable, genius and fantastic" 

LALGUDI JAYARAMAN (Eminent Musician, India) - "  " His talent is not the fruit of one single birth's efforts. This level of achievement is only possible to one who has lived with music for countless births. The speed with which he writes notations have always baffled me. "

 
Dr.BALAMURALIKRISHNA (Eminent Carnatic Vocalist, India) -" As far as i am concerned, i would say Ilaiyaraja is the composer of the century. If there is one single authority on 'orchestration' it can only be ilaiyaraja. 

K.J.YESUDASS (Eminent Film/Carnatic Vocalist, India) - "There are infinite music forms hidden in his heart. All that should flow-out for the good of mankind." 

VAALI (South Indian Lyricist/Poet, India) - "Reethigowlai, Hamsanatham, Bilahari etc are some of the ragas that he has deftly handled for film music. He is not isignani, he is swaragnani"

ZUBIN MEHTA (Music Conductor, Israel Philharmonic)- " I was bewildered after listening to his 'nothing but wind' and 'how to name it'. He belongs to the 21st century and perhaps beyond."

JOSEPH EAGER, (Conductor, World Symphony Orchestra, USA )-"His music will be heard through the twenty-first century" predicted at a function to release the CD of his album Nothing But Wind in New York in 1988. 

VICTOR RANGEL RIBEIRO,( musicologist and author of Baroque Music, USA ) - "Your ears will hear music like they never heard before" 

STEPHEN DAVIS (of New Age, USA) -"He is leading us to a very special world of music appreciation and has opened doors of new horizons of new age music"
  

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." 

MARK LAYCOCK, (Director of Orchestral Activities, 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"

'

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 (Violin Maestro, India)-,"Ilayaraaja is as good as any composer in the world"

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, India ) - ," As far as i am concerened, Ilayaraaja is the best bet when it comes to background music. He seems to fully understand as to what the film's situation demands and what impact should his music create in viewer's mind. More often, the usage of silent passages in his background music is more stunning than the music itself, and he creates the right mood every time. Amazing is the word!!"

 
R.V.UDAIYAKUMAR (Noted Film Maker, India) - "He was writing the background score for one of my films. In a particular scene i had made a very glaring error in designing the flow of shots. I told him that i have made a mistake in choosing the shots. He simply said - I just now corrected your mistake with the BGM ...Listen to this!!"

 
PAARTHIBAN (Noted Film Maker, Actor, India) - "Music alias ilaiyaraja, ilaiyaraja alias Music"

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, India)," He is a genius by himself and is completely  self contained"

 
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, India) - "Ilaiyaraaja is perhaps the only complete music composer in India"

 
SUHASINI MANIRATNAM (Eminent Actress, India)," Show me a composition matching legendary compositions like 'shenbagame shenbagame' & 'panivizhum malar vanam' by ilaiyaraja. Only then can you talk of someone overtaking him"

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." 

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.htmlhttps://outshine-ga-ga.blogspot.com/2009/12/bachan-on-ilayaraja.html