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

Suresh65, I agree...the rhythms are pretty complex in this soundtrack. That is what struck me first because I had a hard time keeping track (both Chitra's and Hariharan's songs). Overall, I think you need time to digest this album because there is so much to it that it might not be evident in the first few listens.

I also see Plum's point about the ludes being functional compared to the past where the ludes were what I looked forward to, knowing that there will be magic. In the past, there has been a number of times when I have skipped the song after the second lude. :-) Of course, even now, there are cases where that magic still exists (Pazhassi Raja song...Odathanil, second interlude)

Again, Raja's style has changed...but there is a lot to enjoy and relish in this too.

Lovely album... this..
@ V_S regarding aavani thumbi - it reminds me of that awesome song in konji pesalam
http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer...720%27&lang=en
Same Raagam perhaps. Another song i am reminded is the one from illam
Nandhavanam poothirukkudhu (chandrasekhar clowning around Amala - beat that..)
http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer...078%27&lang=en

Awesome use of the same raaga to create so many different shades.. pure genius..

Shank,
After seeing you post I am happy :) I mean, if a guy like you, who can compose songs, has tough time keeping track of what's happening rhythmically, mere mortals like me need not be ashamed that we couldn't decipher it :D Anyway to me it looked like a 7 beat (technically Mishra Chapu) with the lines starting at various places after the samam in the charanam.

In terms of interludes, there is huge complexity but not the obviously complexity of his earlier works, where instruments come in and disappear fast. That has given way to a subdued complexity where you don't even feel it is complex. Just listen to the way the violins come in during the first interlude of the Shreya song. Or the claps along with the rhythm in the second interlude of the Chitra song. These are works of a genius. Someone who is hell bent on hiding these from you. Listening non stop to this album now.

Yes, Jai, I could sense the resemblance with nandavanam poothirukkuthu and Ezhuvannam konda songs too. Thanks for sharing. :smile:

Suresh ji,
Same pinch on Chengathir Kaayum. I was also having difficulty in tracking the complex rhythm pattern (time signature), but my piano teacher helped me confirm the 7/8 time signature. She was thoroughly amazed by this composition and its melody and appreciated that this song is very complex to understand. I felt so proud and so added 'Amruthamayi', she had no answer for its beauty. She was thoroughly impressed. :D
Such a heavenly feast!

Suresh65, you don't have to be so modest! :-) You have a deep understanding of music and really in-depth observations. It shows your passion and interest in understanding music and a genuine appreciation for the art. I have always read your writings with great interest and completely respect your views. And ultimately, we all bond together as fans of good music...right?

Shank,

Thanks for the kind words. As you rightly said, we are all bonded together by music. And since you are composer yourself (along with Srikanth) I am sure you would have observed how casually Raja breaks the song flow in the charanam of 'Amrithamaayi'. The first two lines sail along smoothly and then he suddenly makes the tune choppy, with the stress syllables falling on the beat. And after two lines like that he is back to the smooth way. Almost like a smooth flowing river encountering a few rocks on the way. And just like the joy we feel when the water skips over those rocks, the way the tune changes is a joy to behold. As usual Raja does this so imperceptibly that people will take this to be a standard Raja melody !!! That has been his aesthetics and in these time when people love everything being shown explicitly, it is a bane for his popularity as well !!

V_S,
Thanks for confirming the 7/8 signature. A couple of days back I started my evening walk with the stated purpose of hearing all the songs of 'Snehaveedu' twice over. Once I arrived at 'Chengkathir' I accidentally started keeping the beat. Which is invariably 4x4. With a jerk I realized that it was completely wrong and for the next half hour I kept playing the song trying to find the logic of the best. I got that it was 7/8 but Chitra keeps starting away from the beat so many times that I was completely confused. Nice to see your teacher confirming this suspicion. And also nice to know you are learning piano. Hope you are playing some Raja songs on the piano :)

Sureshji,
Thanks. :smile: Maestro tempted me to learn piano. Another main reason I have to attribute is to Violin Vicky and his treasure blogs. Through his analysis, I learned a lot. My sincere thanks to him. He was also generous to share some of Raja's score sheets. After couple of years on piano, I started with Vicky's 'Enna Satham intha neram' and 'Nenjathai KiLLaathe' title score sheets. I have to tell you that when I showed the score sheet of Enna Satham' to my piano teacher, she was surprised by its unconventional bass tracks (arpeggios) and it took a whole three months for me to atleast complete the song (still working on the actual tempo, it's too fast you know for me :wink:). Kudos to Vicky :notworthy: I am still a beginner in all music sense.

Have been listening to Sriramarajyam a lot recently and now Sneha Veedu. Beautiful albums both, thoroughly relishing them. In addition, enjoying all the detailed reviews, analysis and discussions on the new albums by the hubbers. Have to catch up a lot as I have been away from the hub for a while.

V_S Nice to know about your piano experience ..
Its good to know that your Piano teacher heard the tracks and was surprised ..Generally i find some teachers refusing to go beyond their area ..
Also its good to know Non Indians (im assuming your teacher is a Westener) appreciating Maestro's music ..
Interesting to know about the 7/8 time signature , rhythm is one area i would really wanna have a grip on ..
Try starting a thread soon discussing Maestro's complex time signatures ..

skr,
Thanks. She is an American. Yes she is very much interested in hearing to Maestro's compositions. She is so fascinated about the second interlude of 'enna sattham' song and NK title score and got so much interested to teach me other Maestro songs. She always asks me to come with his next song score. I have given her some Maestro's songs played on piano (youtube links) so that we can work out the score. It's a wonderful experience to play Maestro compositions especially with the guidance of a Guru, and I could not believe I am playing his notes (atleast trying to) and I never thought I could do this.

V_S ,
Thats really nice to hear your American Teacher showing so much interest in Maestro's compositions ..
Good that your spreading his music everywhere ..
Would love to hear you playing a Maestro composition ..

VS. That was a brilliant find indeed. Maanodum" as well as "Avani thingaL" are based on Chala naattai/Jog scale.
My pick of "Sneha veedu" is tthe duet "Chandrabimbathin". I find the mild swagger in the rytms to be so alluring that it plays repeatedly. After a long time Raja seems to use SriRanjani here . When Chitra sings "chengathir kaiyum veeshi" it is as natural as a fish taking to water . My second choice. Has Raja stamp in tune. Also note how the varying sandhams in the pallavi make it so captivating

When i listen to Avanithumbi, I have MayanginEn solla thayanginEn (NAnE Raja NAnE Mandhiri) running somewhere inside my head. Similar/same rAgam, again?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KV

When i listen to Avanithumbi, I have MayanginEn solla thayanginEn (NAnE Raja NAnE Mandhiri) running somewhere inside my head. Similar/same rAgam, again?

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This is weird!

I am surprised at why a charukeshi raagam based Mayanginen Solla song is ringing in your head. If anything, "Kelayo Kanna"(from same film) should be ringing in your head - particularly the charanams. Some raaga overlap there! Kelayo Kanna is a lovely composition btw.

Raagas, I think my reaction was formed from the fact that there are common notes in these two songs.

Aavanithumbi, or, at least its skeletal melody, seems to mostly operate in the scale
S G3 M1 P N2 S, S N2 P M1 G3 (it incorporates D1 as well, though at very few places)
I looked up to see what scale this is and it happens to be SAvithri (janya of HarikAmbOji)
(One of the hubbers had commented on Aavanithumbi resembling Chithira SevvAnam. I guess this explains it, because chithira is also supposedly set in sAvithri)

On the other hand, Charukesi is S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S, S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S
If you observe, dropping Ri and Da from this would yield Savithri (pardon the amateurish, gross approximation/linkage). And both the songs have many Ga Ma Pa phrases, which is what I guess, gave me that tinge of similarity.

Interesting KV! But i dont think Avanithumbi sounds similar to Mayanginaen. The change in few notes, i think, throws the songs quite apart from each other.

Also, i thought chitthira sevvaanam is Chalanaattai based. is it not?

hmmmm

but for me, after Avanithumbi's first line it is the second line of this awesome song comes to my mind suddenly. Don't know why? same raagam?

Interestingly, I was cracking my mind to find the first line of that Chinnappadaas song. Thank God! I saw the song in a TV yesterday and caught :lol:

KV might be right . Raja does peep into Charukesi too . Note the lines
"engu nee pogilum minmini kelkunnu
ennumil prananil thangidum sowbhagyam..." in the pallavi. Also the first interludes is charukesi whereas the second interlude is predominantly chalanattai but ends in charukesi

In "Chandrabimbathin", the usage of chorus is astounding (not surprisingly!)...on closer listen, I was blown away.

at last Happi to see the light
The release date has been constantly being changed. After many changes its now confirmed for an October 14, 2011 release.

http://bolly.sawfnews.com/film.aspx?id=238

Thanks Shankar for the news. Good to see some update and hope it releases this time as promised (Mausam has come and gone I guess...).

Some details (as a recap) about the music/movie:

- Pankaj kapur has sung four songs (he is playing a jazz singer??)
- Kamalhaasan has sung one song "Zingdagi dish" (http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs?tid=54...mm=34613&hl=en)
- BGM using budapest orchestra
- 3/4th of the movie has no dialoges

Some snippets of IR doing re-recording for the movie: http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broa...ppi-Magic.html

I am curious about the songs and BGM.

thanks,

Krishnan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by krish244

Thanks Shankar for the news. Good to see some update and hope it releases this time as promised (Mausam has come and gone I guess...).

Some details (as a recap) about the music/movie:

- Pankaj kapur has sung four songs (he is playing a jazz singer??)
- Kamalhaasan has sung one song "Zingdagi dish" (http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs?tid=54...mm=34613&hl=en)
- BGM using budapest orchestra
- 3/4th of the movie has no dialoges

Some snippets of IR doing re-recording for the movie: http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broa...ppi-Magic.html

I am curious about the songs and BGM.

thanks,

Krishnan

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I am slightly sceptical about that Kamal Haasan song. With that song title "Zindagi Dish" (mix of Hindi & English), I hope it is good!

Btw, if the film is releasing on Oct 14th, the music should have been out by now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

raagas,

I am slightly skeptical, no, not about the song but of the film releasing on 14th Oct. Yes, 'Mausam' has come (and probably gone) Yet I am not sure with so many heavy weight releases lined up (Ra.One, Rockstar) whether the producers will risk releasing it now. Anyway lets hope it does release soon.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sureshs65

raagas,

I am slightly skeptical, no, not about the song but of the film releasing on 14th Oct. Yes, 'Mausam' has come (and probably gone) Yet I am not sure with so many heavy weight releases lined up (Ra.One, Rockstar) whether the producers will risk releasing it now. Anyway lets hope it does release soon.

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Ra.One releasing on Oct 24th.
RockStar in November 2nd week.

By current market trends (where collections of only 1 weekend is enough and thats what are producers/distributors looking at), I think the treat of big films is lesser, looking at the time gap between the releases.

'Sri Rama Rajyam' to release on November 10
On the auspicious day of Guru Pournima on the 10th of November, Sri Rama Rajyam will hit the marquee. The much-awaited film, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna in Lord Rama's role, is currently in its post-production stage. The mythological film has been made in a distinct format, and Bapu, it appears considering the audio of the film, has given it a new-age touch.

This goes to show how much inspiration that one of the greatest film music directors of all time has derived from Bapu's creative interpretation of some portions of the Ramayana.

The same can be gauged by the fact that, Maestro Illayaraja, who watched the movie, felt that it needs a different kind of music to elevate the unorthodox feel of the movie. Bapu's style has never conformed to routine format, even if it is a story of mythological greats.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thumburu

VS. That was a brilliant find indeed. Maanodum" as well as "Avani thingaL" are based on Chala naattai/Jog scale.

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Wow! Thanks thumburu. :D Happy to know that I am close this time. Thanks thumburu, KV and raagas for enlightening us with your great raga analysis :thumbsup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_LVJNTo6mA
Amrithamai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=402ec...eature=related
Aavanithumbi
Pleasant to watch

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KV

vAdhyArE! Inna ibdi sollteenga? Magic in ludes and all (in vadivel's terms) is 'grine' matter'nga. While it is true that the aging brain peeps in during the songs/ludes every now and then, it's also amazing to see how he can pull off some absolute blinders. Listing some from the top of my head - Paa (udi udi, gum sum gum - whattay innovation, whattay musicality), Naan Kadavul (Om ShivOham, Kannil pArvai – running riot in the devotional area). Some days back, on the way to office, Oru Chiri KandAl played randomly from the playlist. My mind had classified this song under the ‘nice melody, no great shakes’. But then came the Veenai interlude… lovely piece, completely unexpected.
(Shameless plug: I’d made a list of ‘Interlude/prelude/postlude of the year’ in this post written couple of years back.)

To summarize, while the gray matter might not be in its purple patch anymore, it surely does show streaks of bright purple quite often. Bonus, gladly accepted.

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well said, very well said !

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/m...iew/13714.html

Says "The other low point of the movie is its music department and songs which act as speed breakers. Though strictly okay, they are not too melodious as the customary Ilayaraja numbers. The BG Scores are indeed pathetic, denying much of the merits of the director's work in visualising the plot. It is high time Sathyan switches on to a novel crew"

==> has any one seen the movie?
==> That bad, can't believe
==> songs were decent when heard earlier, what happened?

Bala

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmahesh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_LVJNTo6mA
Amrithamai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=402ec...eature=related
Aavanithumbi
Pleasant to watch

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questions anwered as to why there are 2 versions of amruthamaai.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by balaji

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/m...iew/13714.html

Says "The other low point of the movie is its music department and songs which act as speed breakers. Though strictly okay, they are not too melodious as the customary Ilayaraja numbers. The BG Scores are indeed pathetic, denying much of the merits of the director's work in visualising the plot. It is high time Sathyan switches on to a novel crew"

==> has any one seen the movie?
==> That bad, can't believe
==> songs were decent when heard earlier, what happened?

Bala

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When I read the review I see that the reviewer has an axe to grind against Raja. If you see the picturization, you can clearly see that they are done well. You can also see him harping about 'hit' music in the end also. I have read reviews of 'Rasathanthram', 'Vinoda Yatra' , 'Manasinakkare' etc where people have not been too happy with the music but as time went by, the music is there to stay: being played constantly on TV channels and being sung in reality shows. Ia m sure the music of this movie will also remain eternal. The tunes are such. We don't need to doubt it. I am certain of one thing. A high quality product may be neglected due to it not being fashionable but it will not remain hidden for long.

http://kerala9.com/news/sneha-veedu-review/

Songs and BGM by Ilayaraja are soothing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sureshs65

When I read the review I see that the reviewer has an axe to grind against Raja. If you see the picturization, you can clearly see that they are done well. You can also see him harping about 'hit' music in the end also. I have read reviews of 'Rasathanthram', 'Vinoda Yatra' , 'Manasinakkare' etc where people have not been too happy with the music but as time went by, the music is there to stay: being played constantly on TV channels and being sung in reality shows. Ia m sure the music of this movie will also remain eternal. The tunes are such. We don't need to doubt it. I am certain of one thing. A high quality product may be neglected due to it not being fashionable but it will not remain hidden for long.

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The moment he said BG Scores are pathetic, we might as well throw the opinion out of the window. Anyways we all know that indiaglitz only writes super good reviews for movies which it is doing e-Media advertising.

Kamal Aakarsh's detailed review of 'SreeRamaRajyam' album: http://musicmavericks.blogspot.com/2...aiyaraaja.html

You can completely discount IndiaGlitz's reviews...they are a bunch of morons who either pilfer reviews from others or have completely no clue how to review anything, let alone movies & music.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sureshs65

Kamal Aakarsh's detailed review of 'SreeRamaRajyam' album: http://musicmavericks.blogspot.com/2...aiyaraaja.html

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You are more fast than me! :-)

IR's theatre play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" to be staged soon.

"...
DATES, VENUE & TIME

PREVIEW NIGHT:

5TH OCTOBER, 2011

MARRIOTT CONVENTION CENTRE

6:30 PM ONWARDS (SHOW BEGINS 8:00 PM)

BY INVITATION ONLY

THE PERFORMANCE DATES ARE:

22ND, 23RD, & 24TH OCTOBER, 2011

RAVINDRA BHARATHI

7:00 PM ONWARDS
..."

Full details at:

http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrele...1100399619.htm

thanks,

Krishnan

Actor, lyricist & now composer Piyush Mishra says he wrote lyrics for an Ilaiyaraaja film.

http://www.planetradiocity.com/music...wid=248&pgno=3

Wonder what it could be. Happi??? (given Piyush's affiliations to parallel cinema).

Piyush has done some great work in Anurag Kashyap's Gulaal! This is wonderful news that Ilaiyaraaja's music in Hindi is adorned with lyrics by sensible writers such as Piyush. Glad that the "sameer" days are gone!

- Correction: after a search, I now realize that Piyush Mishra wrote lyrics for Chal Chalein.

So any idea how wrote lyrics for Happi??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-uf7iTCo8Q

HAPPI trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-uf7...eature=related

First credit that comes after the title "HAPPI" is IR's name.

Good teaser and nice music.

thanks,

Krishnan