The much awaited release of Ilaiyaraja's TIS has finally happened. This is how I felt listeing to it for the first time:
(1) Track 1 - poovaar - 4/5
Got my attention immediately. The use of oboe and the violins reminded me strongly of GURU. The "oooha" part drew comparisons from the BGM of Omen. This is my favorite - have been listening to it from the time I heard it. IR's voice really blends in. But a strange feeling that a voice like madhu balakrishnan's would have done better does come into my mind.
(2) Track 2 - pollaa vinayen - 3/5
Having been in various troupes, one notorious thing I have devloped over years is the irritating ability to spot apaswarams in vocals. The very first line rendered by IR is offscale (there are many other lines too). I wonder how a composer of his caliber did not take note of it. This track runs for more than 20 minutes. It has too many textures and layers and a first time listener would just simply lose track of the song ( I genuinely did). But if one could persevere till the end, he/she is in for a choral blast at the end which is superlative. The allegro at the end will remind us of Kalapani's "vandhe mataram" and "suttum sudar vizi".
(3) Track 3 - pooveru - 5/5
A symphonic arrangement for raga shuddha dhanyaasi (predominantly). Bhavatharini's voice is not an irritant at all. In fact I liked her voice blending in the song well. Reminded her rendition of "en veettu jannal etti". But I cannot help feeling that I miss chitra / sujatha in this beautiful song. A typical IR fan can easily blend into this song since it sounds more like vintage IR than Western Classical. Shuddha dhanyaasi and sumaneesa ranjani have long been raja's favorite ragams. I simply fail to understand how this man can come up with so many variations in the same raga. He has already given umpteen number of songs in SD. He started way back with it in alaigaL Oyvathillai - "viziyil vizundhu"
(4) Track 4 - umbarkatkarase - 3/5
Could not appreciate except for some phrases. Too complicated for me to understand and I did not quite like IR's rendition.
(5) Track 5 - muthu - 5/5
Super is the word. Very very much like "suttum sudar vizi paarvaiyile". When I told this to myself I realized the way I was trying to appreciate TIS or IR. I have been weighting / comparing TIS with the following past albums of IR all the time:
1. Guru - Malayalam
2. Kalapani (Siraichalai) - Malayalam
3. Yatramozi
4. Avathaaram
I also understood that I was able to appreciate those tracks which had rhythm more than the ones in free style. It was an exercise in understanding my way of appreciating music as a whole.
Did not quite like the voice of the lady who sings the first "muthu" line. Sounds very strained.
(6) Track 6 - putril - 3/5
Once again starts with apaswarams of IR. But I am not complaining here. I actually like this kind of "IR talking in songs". Two songs that I love to listen to all the time are from avathaaram - "oru kuNdumaNi kulungudhadi" and "aridhaaratha poosikkoLLa". Somehow I feel when he talks in between the song, he imparts life by defining the situation and somehow makes me visualize the situation. I liked this but the lead tune is a little folkish (Remember "kaadhal paattu dhaan paadikkO" ? ) and also a little weak (not very innovative). Since I have heard better stuff from IR in a similar genre I will not rate this very high.
BTW, the ratings are against his monumental work - GURU. I personally rate GURU as 5/5 for all the songs.
Overall :
It is a beautiful album. IR is indeed a genius who took up film music only because that was the only way for him to express his musical brilliance. Had he been given other ways of venting his creativity, he would have shaken the world of fusion music and the kids in Americas/Europe would have read about his life and work as a chapter in history. This album is simply Ilaiyaraja. It is his style. Dont look for Bach, Mozart, Beethoven or tyagaraja, syama sastry or anybody else in there. You cannot find them. You can find Ilaiyaraja and only him - an admixture of geniality, creativity, innovation, his humility before the ultimate, his pride before his peers, his devotion, his eccentricities and his dreams. It is more than worth buying.
If I am asked what would be the albums I would like to be with if stranded in an uninhabited island, and whether I would choose TIS, I would reply as follows:
These are albums (in the order of prirority) which I would be with.
1. Guru
2. Kalapani
3. Bharatham (non-IR)
4. M.S.Subbalakshmi's selelcted songs like shree ranga pura vihara
5. PonveyililE and thaimavin thaNalin from Yatramozi
6. Thendral vandhu theeNdumpOdhu from avathaaram
7. TIS
Or in other words, TIS is great. But for me GURU is still the greatest album.
Introduction and Announcements
New Original !
Aankhon ko - आँखों को
It's pathetic that any one of them involved with TIS and other music veterans heard it couldn't spot IR abaswarams, per your say. You did it, excellent!!
ReplyDeleteWhy criticize IR alone? Why not Manickavasagar? For instant, you can write, "I wonder why Vadhavoorar has used so many difficult Tamil words, for which he surely would have known that it would make the lower class people mazed?", or something like that!
Another one. "I do not know why he used the word 'Aravam' in "Putril Vazhl" song, when he could have used "Paambu" simply. After all, he has used "Paambu" in "Namasivaya Vazhlga"!!
Thanks in advance for curbing your web abuses.
Whoever it be:
ReplyDeletethanks for the comment, though I really did not claim that I was the only one to spot apaswarams.
Manikkavasagar and some other poets used maNipravaaLam and diluted tamil language - true. I have no second opinion here. I guess that was a part of hindu-saivam cultural influence.
WEll, if criticizing is a web abuse, and people cannot stomach comments, I dont care.
For heaven's sake, do not criticize something done for noble cause! You may do it for your film music, but not for these efforts for sure!! It happened that a couple of people that I know (not in India) lost interest after reading these blogs which to me is hard to digest. They have kids being brought up here and are not exposed to our treasures. That makes me sick!! They may be wrong after deciding based on web reviews, but they say they have lost the flavour for it.
ReplyDeleteNow, I do not want to be drawn into the issue of somebody making money. To me, it is irrelevant!
It is more than a decent work by certain people to bring Thiruvasagam in this format. Why don't we encourage this? When Bharathiar wrote his verses, many didn't give a damn. After his death, he is being revered. Is this the attitude of our society, that would never change? Sadly, that's what we are up against.
Please be responsible with web medium. Needless to say, it reaches much further! "Don't care" attitude doesn't help!!
Thanks for your earlier reply.
I really do not understand your lament. I personally have volunteered to sell TiS CDs. That is because, I liked the work immensely and I was told the proceeds go for a noble cause. I have said it is a very good album. But, that cannot stop me from talking about the lows of the album I perceive as a fan.
ReplyDeleteTo my knowledge I have neither abused Tis nor Web.
Straight to the point.. No cons to be mentioned about this effort! When you say IR starts with abaswaram and then volunteer to sell CD's doesn't make sense. Rather, it would have been much better had you not said anything negative. Because this is a noble cause! The emphasis shall be given to Thiruvasagam more than its music.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your prompt reply. Hope we are in same frequency. Have a nice Day!!
Sorry. I cannot do that. In fact I can never do that. I am not only a supporter of a noble cause, but also a fan of music.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all when one responds as "anonymous" one wants to hide his/her vested interest behind the anonymity. I know, because I have done that too. However, in terms of noble causes, I do not see how TiS is any superior to Bhaja Govindam by MSS or Bharathiyaar PaadalgaL by Rajkumar Bharathi or (m)any such non-flim endeavors. People who think that these projects are above objective criticism are merely protecting their selfish or narrow-minded interests.
ReplyDeleteWhile I too, like MS, support the idea that TiS should not be a financial burden on the sponsors, I always have to remember that these individuals should have properly rationalized their financial strength/weakness, market forces, audience reactions, etc. before undertaking this venture. If they did, good. If they did not, too bad.
I'm not a "blogger" and hence anonymous. By simply giving my name won't add anything. The core issue remains. You have your priority for TIS, MS etc, so do have I!
ReplyDeleteJust because, someone has chalk piece and a black board, they shall not write on it whatever they like. Be responsible. That's my call.
Sorry for being an irresponsible critic. Responsbily speaking, IR still has apaswarams in TiS.
ReplyDeleteMurali a.ka. Velai,
ReplyDeleteNice to read a perceptive review.
I saw GURU recently in Surya TV. Inspite of the limitations of my television, the BGM had a great impact on me.
Wow! Indha padathukku Natl Award kudukkama, andha varushma annamiaya endra telugu padathukku(where Keera Vani didnt add much value to annamacharya's composition) kuduthadu romba varuthamnaa vishayam.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletehi raj,
ReplyDeleteya guru had very good BGM. Story was very good but somehow had a wasted screenplay and substandard acting (sitara etc.) It could have at least been given best music award.
murali,
ReplyDeleteI meant NA for music only. Not for the movie itself, which had its own flaws(numerous).
But the concept was good and we definitely need this sort of message. Maybe, some other director could do a better job...
The BGM in the Andha-lokam scenes were too good, culminating in the nerve-tingling Pre-Aruna-Kirana sequence of course. Picturisation of the song was a disappointment, though.
DIVINE MUSIC
ReplyDeleteBY
S. MAHESHKUMAR
IT may Sound Divine by its own Nature that is Tiruvachakam but there is no point in setting the Magnum Opus of Sri Manickavachakar to Symphonic(or Oratorio,etc.) Orchestrations. St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion of J. S. Bach should not be a Source of corresponding Translation and Transformation as well as Adaptation in terms of Manickavachakam, i.e. Tiruvachakam. Tiruvachakam has its own Metre and Tune as its Composer Ordained it. Any attempt to contaminate this Saint Dictated Sri Natarajar Scribed Work for business purposes shall face the consequences of Ignorance and Darkness. It is better to write by self and indulge in such matters of experimental trials and avoid exploiting the Divine Compositions such as Tiruvachakam, Tevaram, Sri Arunachala Aksharamanamalai of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, etc.
If Sri Ilaiyaraja want to Resurrect and Re-establish his Past Glory, it is better to not pose any damage to that Past Glory of his. Otherwise he may expose the Evaporated Person who Actually did the Phenomenal Music and the Other Person who corrupted it for the Lust for Money, etc. These two Alter Personae of total difference could not have gone together for almost a couple of decades and inhabited in Ilaiyaraja's self so Amicably! It is best to Oust the Evaporated Person's Baleful Friend who still reigns Raja's self to ruin or at least shows traces of his existence in order to create further devastation, and spend the rest of life in Rewinding and Reliving the Encounters with the Advent and Lapse of the Evaporated Person, Praying for His Return!
If there was not anything like Sri Ilaiyaraja's Lost Past Glory, he might still be in Vogue and continue with the Phenomena that he once had been! While he was at his Supreme, what he did was, according to his own self-commentaries, viz., his Music was like Slow Poison, that it would often make the listener addicted to it. That is why there have been many Ilaiyaraja Maniacs to this day. But these Maniacs are decreasing, quite relieved of their Mania, thanks to the Person who was Evaporated from Ilaiyaraja's Misused Mental Domain and thus deserted him now! In the title song of the film, 'Karagattakkaran', he was even tempted to boast of & reveal his Real Self, that he sold his Music for the Lust for Money, etc( listen again to the Song "Pattale Buddhi Sonnar...").
Dear Sri Ilaiyaraja,
Please be contented with your Revolutionary Past Glory which will never be matched by anyone else or even by yourself now for Generations to Come! It was for good that you exhausted yourself and created an Edifice for yourself by Overworking. Now is the time to Rest and Relax in Leisure. Be Like the Beacon of Arunachala to the Young Musical Aspirants who tries to follow your footsteps and kindly consent to their queries and be accessible to them unlike in the past due to your busy schedule. Due to Ageing you may tend to be slow but treat it as an opportunity for Incubation and continue to be in Energetic & Cheerful Spirits. In the past you had exerted to eradicate your poverty and earned fame and money. Why don't you allot your present rest of life in the service of Music for Moksha?
Tiruvachakam in Symphonic Oratorio should be the First Step in the direction of your transition from Lust Music to the Divine Music. Like J.S. Bach (who is your Most Favourite Western Musical Genius & also for Everyone who understands His Refined, Clever, Swift, Subtle, Absolute, Aesthetic, Eternal,..., Art and, Predecessor to Mozart and Beethoven both by His life and by the Mathematical Perfection of His Music), I wish you Success in your present shift of work and expect on the behalf of all, a Lot of Excellent, Non-Slow Poisonous, Quick Elixirous, Poetic Music to follow.
Like J.S. Bach's death bed Composition, the Enigmatic "Art of Fugue", incompletely concluded with the notes,“ BACH", as the Master Breathed for His Last in this Mortal World to Infinitely Breath for His Forever Flourishing in the Immortal Heavenly Abode, I once again wish you to do Penance in order to attempt & write such Fugues in addition to your Ever Lasting Contributions to Music in the Future.
Thank you and others, very much for the kindest perusal of these Remarks Aimed at Reiterating the Flight of the Musical Soul within ourselves from the Viciousness of Lust, etc, into the "NADHA BRAMHAM" and finally Merge & Abide as THE INFINITE+ZERO in Communion, Peacefully & Blissfully in "SRI BRAHMACHALAM", the Final Abode of the Greatest of the Supreme Gods!
Yours well wishingly,
S. Maheshkumar.
Mahesh,
ReplyDeleteRaaja is a bit boastful-Agreed!
But, who claimed this Oratorio is set Magnum Opus for Thiruvasagam? Did Raaja say that? I thought he said it's an attempt to present the old treasure to the younger generation. You disputed its form. Raaja didn't.
Raaja's success in the past, in my opinion, was due to the taste of the public. People were more "Indian" those days. Now, most of this generation wants to run after McDonalds, Wendy's etc., though many are not very much informed about the ingredients. It's the call of Westernisation.. a mark of slavery in most cases. They want to shift to bitter western coffees even if presented with Indian filtered ones!
Raaja's music remains similar, yet unpopular these days. Those who reminisces his old music, reminisce those "Days of Music". That's it. There are people like me who want Raaja to keep going for the sake of their taste of music. I, as a guitarist, enjoy his guitar compositions and I'm yet to find good guitar compositions from others, with the exception of, may be one or two, utilizing a guitar to my satisfaction. I'm sure every Raaja's fan has his/her own reasoning to listen to his music. Let them continue to enjoy their fair share of music!
Thanks.
The list of Thiru Ilaiyaraja’s Blunders:
ReplyDelete‘Thiru / Thirumathi to be prefixed at appropriate proper names’.
1. Vali (Ever Steady) against Vairamuthu (Rejuvenated).
2. ‘Malaysia’ Vasudevan against T. M. Soundararajan (Fuming/Lamenting).
3. Janaki (Rediscovered) against Susheela (Everlasting).
4. Mano against S. P. Balasubrahmaniam (Relief from overwork).
5. Chitra against Sailaja/Jency(Not So!).
6. His Western Classical Masala Mix against Thiruvasagam’s Original (traditional) ‘PANN’ or Tune (epitome of his blunders!).
7. His “Oththa Ruba Tharaen” against Shankar-Ganesh’s former “Ennadi Muniamma” of the same popular tune.
8. Yogi Ram Surath Kumar against Bhagavan Ramanar.
9. High-tech Swamihood against the Simplest Real.
10. His Perfect (?) Music-Notation Script (He boasts in interviews) against that of Beethoven’s.
11. Former under-estimation of M. S. Viswanathan (That he took 3 months to compose “Muththukkalo Kanngal” Song in “Nenjirukkum Varai” as against his setting to tunes instantly, in one of his erstwhile interviews to Doordarshan, Chennai.) against his present shift in stand (that his Music was the Eschewed Saliva of MSV/Ramamurthy).
12. His intoxicating & dominating “Marma Isai” i.e. Mysterious Music, against Inducing the Curiously Provoked to learn the Art (e.g. K. Bhagyaraj et al) to rid him.
13. Suppression of his younger brother’s name in the list of those he was grateful to for his climbing to success (in his book on the subject) against the Lakshmana-like deeds of Gangai Amaran.
14. His Present Fall (due to his uncontrolled egoism) against his Past Achievement (due to his erstwhile alter person who is now evaporated!).
15. His over-praised vulnerable Thiruvasakam in Symphonic Oratorio in retort against the applauded A. R. Rahman’s Vandemataram (the reason being in Rahman’s work the lyrics had been understandable whereas in Raja’s work, most of the verses were in classical tamil, hard to comprehend by the ordinary layman).
16. His copy-righted & patented Thiruvasakam in Symphonic Oratorio against Sri Manickavachakar’s unpatented Divine Thiruvasakam (which yielded Raja to corrupt and contaminate the Bone-Melting devotional Thiruvasakam and thus to have begotten the divine curse of darkness and ignorance,etc.)
… So on.