A moment with Ilayaraaja

To see Ilayaraaja – India’s most prolific film music composer, having composed for over 700 films over a career of more than 20 years – at work is to feel astonishment.‘‘It was passion that got me into the film industry. But right from the start I didn’t merely want to join the orchestra, I wanted to direct it! To write the score! I perceived the need to equip myself to fulfill this role and so began to take lessons in classical music, both Indian and Western,’’ says Illayaraaja.He was 26 when he sought Dhanraj Master in Madras to learn western music and later went on to become a gold medallist in the examination conducted by the Trinity College of Music, London.

A batchmate recalls that the Ilayaraaja of those days was fun loving, always bubbling with quiet friendliness despite not knowing where the next meal was going to come from. He missed meals but never his practice.Illayaraaja is a composer who has never composed for himself, but always for his audience. He knows what makes them laugh and what makes them weep. He predicted every one of his National Awards (Sagara Sangamam, Sindhu Bhairavi, and Rudra Veena) even as he was composing. ‘‘Without such a grasp of audience psychology, I don’t deserve to be a music director. And no artiste of any sort can ever overcome commercial considerations totally.

Music is not a spiritual pursuit. Where is the question of reaching God through music or through anything else when he is omnipresent? As for music, only when I stop making music can you say I have mastered it.’’Impressed by the discipline and dedication of foreign orchestras and audiences, Ilayaraaja always wanted to compose a grand symphony for them and this has come true with Thiruvasakam in Symphony where Saint Manickawasakar’s verses of Tamil poetry are composed into symphony. This project involves more than 200 musicians from India and Hungary, including the Budapest Symphony.

The final mastering is under completion by sound engineer Richard King, the 2004 Grammy winner for Best Engineered Album.Says Stephen Schwartz, who has worked with the English translation of Thiruvasakam: ‘‘It is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, a stunning blend of Indian and Western music and instruments. I asked Illayaraaja if this was something different for him too, and he said he had never done anything like this piece before. I don’t know if anyone has. So I believe those of you looking forward to this are in for a treat.’’ Illayaraaja has sung in Tamil and poet Gulzar is working on the translation in Hindi.

The symphony will release in a month and the main objective of this project is to get the youth to notice masterpieces from India’s rich yet forgotten spiritual traditions.It doesn’t look like there is anything left for the maestro to achieve. ‘‘What I am today is not the result of my thoughts or endeavours. When I have reached that which I could never have visualised, why should I try to achieve anything less or more? I am content to be led by the will of God.’’He’s also got Kamal Haasan’s Mumbai Xpress in hand. And of course there are the concerts all over the world.