Maestro Ilaiyaraja New Albums 2011 - Hello Jaihind / Sri Rama Rajyam

Gents,

While a "concentrated focus" is not there we have a widespread media now and the good songs should reach masses more quickly and effortlessly without any hassles isn't it?
With reality shows flashing on every channels,the reachability shoudn't be a big issue and that's what I feel.Even finding a new singer for movies is not big challenge anymore,because of these programs.
Iam not too sure about what Suresh said with respect to songs being composed only for cellphone ringtones or caller tunes :) :)Is it industry specific?

What surprises me is his innovation and energy in other languages.. .Sometimes a good theme/subject/situation could inspire him to think differently and produce
that magic and why not?? As I pointed out earlier he never misses with some directors.

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Originally Posted by Sureshs65

It is not that these companies want everyone singing it. They just want every cell phone ringing it.

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Suresh, 100% true statement. nowadays arts are business because corporate culture and thinking ROI not as Art

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Originally Posted by Sureshs65

Coming to 'Ponnar Shankar', what Raja seems to be trying here is to give the symphonic feel using only the synthesizer. I am sure there are lot of software / plug ins or whatever they are called available in the market but Raja wants to leave his own stamp behind. This is very evident in the 'annanmaar' song. The synthesizer is used to try and create the feel of a symphonic orchestra and truthfully that shows. In the other songs as well, when there is a constant accompanient in the background, providing for the harmony, you can 'hear' the synthesizer. As kiru used to constantly say, Raja wants to recreate his brand of music using the synthesizer. In other words, Raja is trying for a replacement of a manual orchestra using the synthesizer. He doesn't want to compromise on his ideas but maybe due to the financial constraints of the producers has to compromise on using the synthesizer.

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Just a thought:

I wonder why would raaja opt for synthesizer instead of real violins? It could be deliberate or compulsion. My reason fails to buy 'financial constraints' because this is a project that had lot of work on costumes/scale/sets etc. It might not be the most expensive film ever but it is not a low budget film either (i heard that the budget is inversely proportional to the amount of costumes worn by female leads :-)). I cannot buy the reason that the producer didnt have money to pay 25 violinists. And lets keep the Budapest Philharmonic out of the scope, for a moment - budegtary constraints can be understandable here. Secondly, it is not that Chennai has a dearth of violinists. I know for sure that there are a number of violinists (adept in both western classical & indian classical - if needed) who would be ready to give their arm to play for raaja. And the money that the producer pays even for the sound engineer/mixing engineer is more than what he would pay to violinists. Ponnar Shankar has good polished sound and I dont think the producer compromised on anything that would have resulted in compulsion for raaja.
I think that the synth usage, even for instruments such as violins is deliberate. This begets the question - Why Raaja, of all, being an authority in acoustic music practice (while constantly criticizing about excessive synthesizer usage in film music), himself does this?

RM,

It is indeed true that the music companies make more money out of ring tones and caller tunes than from the actual sales of CD. From what I read once in a web site (maybe it was Cable Shankar website, not sure), the amount paid to the top MDs like Rahman are not recoverable by just the CD sales. It is an overall thing where they try and deliver the content in various forms. Downloads, ring tones, caller tunes etc. My personal feeling is that this aspect has now been perfected in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu film industry.

Anyway, we seem to be going off topic in this thread. This discussion requires a generic thread and is not just limited to Raja but to the general music industry.

About Raja delivering when the stakes are high, I have no doubt. In this regard I am of the staunch opinion that Raja has no equals in Indian Film Industry. His music has never been a let down when the budgets were high and the stakes were high. 'Thalapathi', 'Kala Paani', 'Guru', 'Tiruvasagam', 'Pazhassi Raja' come to mind.

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Originally Posted by raagas

Just a thought:

II think that the synth usage, even for instruments such as violins is deliberate. This begets the question - Why Raaja, of all, being an authority in acoustic music practice (while constantly criticizing about excessive synthesizer usage in film music), himself does this?

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My thoughts as well.

Suresh,

Yes ,we will take this discussion off now.

Thanks
R

Sorry to digress, but again this is only about IR not anything about trend.

We never knew what was the discussion inside the Prasad studios and why IR opted for synth based orchestration, but we can only guess. If we remember, the same IR demanded MTV and Hariharan to bring in symphony orchestra for Pazhassi Raja, again same thing happened for even the smaller budget film Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai even though initially they denied, because of the cost. Definitely for PS also he would have done that.
Again another aspect is, this film came to IR only at the later stage unlike other films. Initially only ARR signed up this project. Due to some unknown reasons (may be money factor, we don't know) this was given to IR. So even not considering the money factor apart, I believe it is with the time factor. IR had to train the musicians for the songs and orchestration may be within a short period of time. Again all these are wild guesses, but one thing I certainly believe that he opted for synth rather than live orchestra for a definite reason, which we don't know. Just imagining, if all these songs and scores are done within a short period time, is itself an amazing contribution, irrespective of whichever method it was done. The quality speaks!

In Raaja's recent albums, I dont miss the violins that much (In the BGM side he makes sure that the cellos and violins come to the party).
I miss the awesome trumpets and saxophones. Nowadays, he seems to use them strictly according to the template (i.e., only for jazz and band type songs as against to using it anywhere, every where, wherever possible).
Another musical instrument I used to miss these days was the veena and thank raaja, he used it in PS in Malarvillil and Kannai pidithen. revisiting Malar villil every day atleast twice to enjoy the sweetness of those segments..

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Originally Posted by jaiganes

revisiting Malar villil every day atleast twice to enjoy the sweetness of those segments..

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Malar villile is my most favorite (but just after bavani varugiraa) even compared to Kannai padithen. These three songs are in infinite loop. Heavenly melodies!

Though initially , names like Nithyashree , Sudha R fuelled my "nappaasai" for something like "ULiyin Oasai", I came to terms with Ponnar Shankar after reading your great reviews here . Atlast got hold of PonnarShankar songs from samshhits and listened a couple of times. My tempered expectation taught me to anticipate an album like Jaganmohini and that way, Ponnarshankar is "paisa vasool" for me. My review for first 3 songs in the album goes like :
Kodi kotti - Skipworthy "prachaara paattu" probably added at the last moment due to pressure from "kazhagam" for serving election purpose.
annanmaar kadhai - Though Raja offers nothing fresh by way of tune in "annanmaar kadhai" [It is commonly used "saami dhinthaka thom aiyappa dhinthakathom" type],
the lush ambience music, particularly the women chorus with that drawl when they slow down abruptly during "thamarai naachikku thanga vaLaikaappu"
and as Suresh observed, the women chorus also reminding us of "muthu natraamam" from Thiruvasagam -make this song pass the muster.
bhavani varugira - is my pick from PonnarShankar.
This tribal folk with modern synth backing is the perfect commercial masala recipe that we have
been waiting from Raja to dish out. The mild scale shift ushered by a chord change in the latter part of the opening chorus
parts that lead to the pallavi gives me a great high. Simple, hummable and foot tappinng tune . I see my good, young Raja that I know through this song.
I liked 3 songs of Jaganmohini and this is on the lines of my most favorite
"ponmani theril". Hence I hoist the flag "Bhavani varugira" from PonnarShankar. Rest in my next.