Ilayaraja mesmerises Muscat audience
Published: 05:03 PM,Mar 05,2023 | EDITED : 09:03 PM,Mar 05,2023
The music director, composer, lyricist and singer, Ilayaraja, entertained an audience full of his fans at the Oman Automobile Association Grounds with his unique style on Friday.
The octogenarian entered the stage, his first time in Muscat, with full anticipation of the audience demand and started off with ‘Janani’. He was accompanied by his orchestra and versatile singers for the concert organised by Muscat Beats. Although most of the songs he directed were in Tamil, he made sure to sing in all the South Indian languages.
Brig Jamal bin Said al Tai, Chairman of Muscat Beats Organising Committee, invited Amit Narang, Ambassador of India to Oman, on stage to present a special memento to the Maestro. In his note, Al Tai said although he did not understand the language of the song, he could ‘feel’ the music and understood it as a universal language “which was very uplifting to one’s mood and spirits.” Ilayaraja made the concert interactive with the audience. The exciting part was when he reflected on his experiences and often looked back at life.
A humble Ilayaraja said, “I don’t know music till today. Had I known it, I would have sat comfortably at home. So for what use would it be to continue to do what I already know about?” Ilayaraja only takes 30 minutes to compose a song, and he admitted, “Throughout my career, this has been so. There is just one song that took 47 minutes, the song ‘Sundari’.” The composer is known for his orchestrations. He asked how one could compose music without wonderful singers and musicians. He gave a special treat to his audience each time he sang the songs he had sung on his own in the movies, like ‘Nayakan’ - ‘Thenpandi Cheemayile’ and others.
Many in the audience were nostalgic as he and the musicians churned out songs recorded 40 years ago. He began his musical career in 1973 with a film titled Deepam, but the film was stalled. Soon came the next opportunity, and he composed the song, ‘Annakili’, released in 1976 and followed by the song, ‘Machane Pathingala’. From then on, it has been hit after hit.
“Some songs become classics, and they remain in your memory forever. Why do you think that happens?” He asked the audience.
He explained, “Why it sticks in your mind is because of its melody.” On stage, he requested the pianist to play the notes solo. He said, “The piano rendition of ‘Machane Pathingala’ made it sound like a lullaby.” The most important explanation was on the composer and singer.
“The composer travels in frequencies, and the singers use the seven musical scales,” he pointed out. The writer or the poet excels when he can write the words that suit the tune everything flows.
Veteran singer, the late SP Balasubramaniam, had come to Oman several times, but in this concert, his son, Charan, sang the song his father had originally sung under the direction of Ilayaraja. Likewise, popular singer Manu and other artists joyfully entertained the audience on cue with the direction from the Maestro.
@lakshmioman
The octogenarian entered the stage, his first time in Muscat, with full anticipation of the audience demand and started off with ‘Janani’. He was accompanied by his orchestra and versatile singers for the concert organised by Muscat Beats. Although most of the songs he directed were in Tamil, he made sure to sing in all the South Indian languages.
Brig Jamal bin Said al Tai, Chairman of Muscat Beats Organising Committee, invited Amit Narang, Ambassador of India to Oman, on stage to present a special memento to the Maestro. In his note, Al Tai said although he did not understand the language of the song, he could ‘feel’ the music and understood it as a universal language “which was very uplifting to one’s mood and spirits.” Ilayaraja made the concert interactive with the audience. The exciting part was when he reflected on his experiences and often looked back at life.
A humble Ilayaraja said, “I don’t know music till today. Had I known it, I would have sat comfortably at home. So for what use would it be to continue to do what I already know about?” Ilayaraja only takes 30 minutes to compose a song, and he admitted, “Throughout my career, this has been so. There is just one song that took 47 minutes, the song ‘Sundari’.” The composer is known for his orchestrations. He asked how one could compose music without wonderful singers and musicians. He gave a special treat to his audience each time he sang the songs he had sung on his own in the movies, like ‘Nayakan’ - ‘Thenpandi Cheemayile’ and others.
Many in the audience were nostalgic as he and the musicians churned out songs recorded 40 years ago. He began his musical career in 1973 with a film titled Deepam, but the film was stalled. Soon came the next opportunity, and he composed the song, ‘Annakili’, released in 1976 and followed by the song, ‘Machane Pathingala’. From then on, it has been hit after hit.
“Some songs become classics, and they remain in your memory forever. Why do you think that happens?” He asked the audience.
He explained, “Why it sticks in your mind is because of its melody.” On stage, he requested the pianist to play the notes solo. He said, “The piano rendition of ‘Machane Pathingala’ made it sound like a lullaby.” The most important explanation was on the composer and singer.
“The composer travels in frequencies, and the singers use the seven musical scales,” he pointed out. The writer or the poet excels when he can write the words that suit the tune everything flows.
Veteran singer, the late SP Balasubramaniam, had come to Oman several times, but in this concert, his son, Charan, sang the song his father had originally sung under the direction of Ilayaraja. Likewise, popular singer Manu and other artists joyfully entertained the audience on cue with the direction from the Maestro.
@lakshmioman