Maestro Ilayaraja News and Tidbits 2014

[Music4Ever]

thozhar, to be very honest with you, I didn't expect a different response from you. I am also not least surprised that you have conveniently sidestepped my vote in favour of a collaboration and highlighting Rahman's superiority in production to pick on something you can gripe about.

Now if, instead of indulging in veiled attacks on me, if you can actually articulate what's so original about tunes like Nenjukulle, Innum Konjam Neram or Pookale, I am all ears. I may or may not agree but at least that would be a discussion and I would get to hear a different perspective instead of this useless "with us or against us" posturing. IMO Rahman's tunes these days do not live up to the standards of even his B grade scores of earlier like Thenali. Where, really, is a melody like Swasame in his soundtracks today? To be fair, that happens to any composer with the passage of time. But at least Ilayaraja is still able to come up with a Sattru Munbu or Kalvane every once in a while. I don't see any risk taking at all in Rahman's music these days. It's very disappointing for me because in the 90s, his irreverence was what made him so compelling. So I find it boring to see him morph into a peddler of urban feel good music sorely lacking in adventure.

So your gripe is that you are missing the irreverence in the B-grade scores of the nineties that made it so compelling for you. Maybe there is still that ``irreverence" but you got used to it and need a stronger dose? More seriously, moongil thottam and medhuvaagathaan are good, IMO.

[JamesDap]

Not just B Grade, overall his music was so irreverent in the 90s. It was like he said a big "f**** you" to the rules of the day. It was captured in the lyrics too a lot of times, Urvasi for example. Every Rahman soundtrack, or at least every major project of his, was looked forward to with anticipation because he would come up with something totally unexpected. I don't really get that anymore. It may sound unexpected to those who don't listen to any Western pop music at all but to me, songs like Aaromale or Adiye sound very, very generic and typical. Typical not even of Rahman but typical of the way such songs are written in the West. Same with Ladio for that matter. His fans have tried to argue that he is just composing for the situation. But he was doing that in the 90s too and still left his stamp on the songs. Moongil thotham didn't really appeal to me. I don't know that any Rahman melody since Udhaya has really grabbed me. There's no pain, no intensity, just a procession of feel good that is perhaps useful for tranquilizing purposes. Basically sounds like the work of a middle aged composer, which of course he is now. Raja has somehow maintained a child like quality within himself or at least it is evident in his compositions.

[Hulkster]

I believe the whole lot of you can do better than to talk about ARR in this thread. There has been four soundtracks released this year which is enough to talk about and somehow you guys can only think of a topic which has been done, analyzed and fought to death about 5 million times. Can't we just accept that the two composers are unique in their own right and just move on?

Btw has anybody noticed that thalaivar's albums, especially the ones in 2015 such as shamitabh, challa galli(yevade subramanyam) and the 3 melodies from rudhramadevi have a very unique sound. It is like his orchestration and instrumentation have a new DNA. I can't really pinpoint the unique aspect but if i were to describe it, i would say his composition style is starting to evolve into a free-flowing orchestration of various genres be it rock or world music etc.

[krish244]

IR recording with Philharmonia Symphony Orchestra of London for Rudramadevi BGM?

Source: http://www.gulte.com/movienews/37532...-Rudrama-Music

"Maestro Ilayaraja is composing music for Gunasekhar's historical film "Rudramadevi" that is due for release this summer. If you have any doubts as to how prestigious our ace composer took this film, then these London diaries will blow away your mind.

Immediately after writing the scores for Rudramadevi, Ilayaraja flew to London to compose the live music with world's best orchestras and record it at best sound studios. Philharmonia Symphony Orchestra of London who have earlier scored for movies like Spiderman and Batman are playing the musical notes written by Raja sir.

For every line of the notes, the musicians couldn't focus but stop and applause Ilayaraja's greatness. All this music is being recorded at Angle Studios in London where background score of Titanic was composed. Within a week or so, Ilayaraja will be completing the work and get ready to hear the fantastic marvel in theatres."

thanks,

Krishnan

[SVN]

Looks like another case of 'mixed' production value: Great music, but tacky filming (based on the Ponnar Shankar-like poor period details and SFX that I saw in the trailers). Hope the actual movie turns out to be good.

Gunasekhar is no Rajamouli.

[teja]

>IR recording with Philharmonia Symphony Orchestra of London for Rudramadevi BGM

Why? Seriously why? What's the point in going all the way to London, using Philharmonia, write scoresheets for each and every instrument, undergo painstaking efforts to produce a worldclass score - when no one bothers to release the score on CDs or Online outlets? This happened with SriRamaRajyam. Fans had to resort to ripping audio tracks from DVDs. We can expect the same with Rudramadevi, as no one seems to be taking responsibility to release it through proper channel (Karthik Raja, I am pointing to you). Is Philharmonia not bothered either? Why would they work so hard, when their score is not going to be released officially?

[Vysar]

http://tamil.filmibeat.com/news/nobo...an-033948.html

[JamesDap]

Btw has anybody noticed that thalaivar's albums, especially the ones in 2015 such as shamitabh, challa galli(yevade subramanyam) and the 3 melodies from rudhramadevi have a very unique sound. It is like his orchestration and instrumentation have a new DNA. I can't really pinpoint the unique aspect but if i were to describe it, i would say his composition style is starting to evolve into a free-flowing orchestration of various genres be it rock or world music etc.

Are you perhaps referring to the more relaxed development of orchestral passages (or even the music in general)? You know, more spaced out with fewer notes, not all packed in like in the 80s? If so, I should say I noticed it in NEPV, esp Sayndhu Sayndhu and Sattru Munbu. Also Mugilo from Megha. In all these songs, the accompaniment is never overwhelming; there's actually a lot going but he's arranged it superbly to make it feel minimalist. He hasn't abandoned the notes-jammed-together-at-breathtaking-pace style either - see Mudhal Murai from NEPV or Ishq e Phillum from Shamitabh. He also used to come up with songs with this more relaxed approach in the 80s but not frequently. Mandram Vandha and Oru Poongavanam immediately come to mind.

[dochu]

http://tamil.filmibeat.com/news/nobo...an-033948.html

In the some of the previous posts, heavy discussion on whether ARR/IR combo should happen or not - I wish that never happened because personality, experience & knowledge mismatch. I don't remember ARR congratulating IR on his 1000 films contribution. ARR is being projected as mild mannered and humble person. I was planning to point that out during the discussion.

And to my surprise, the above news came today. I am glad ARR knows that. Nobody in the world can replace or achieve what IR has done. Period. His music will stand long even after we all are gone from face of the earth.

[JamesDap]

OK now I also agree with Hulkster that it's better not to bring up this ARR-IR debate. Why make it about the personalities, man? Stick to the music.