SAN JOSE: Isaignani Ilayaraja is synonymous with divine music. For him, creating music is almost like feeling God and it takes the listener on an ethereal trip. His live concert was a dream come true for the vast community of Indian music lovers, and numerous fans of Maestro Ilaiyaraja in the USA, particularly in the West Coast.
Bay area was fortunate to experience his magical music with his live orchestration comprising 90 plus world renowned musicians at HP Pavilion, San Jose on March 1. The grand event was organized by Swagat Entertainments, Bay Area Telugu Association (BATA) and Kalalaya. With an estimated 8500 music lovers in attendance, Maestro Ilaiyaraja made a celebration of Tamil and Telugu music.
Ilaiyaraja has composed over 4500 songs and provided scores for more than 950 Indian films in various languages in a musical career spanning more than 30 years. In 2003, according to a BBC International poll, people from 155 countries voted his composition “Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu” from Thalapathi, fourth in the world’s top 10 most popular songs of all time.
Ilaiyaraja is a master craftsman who can leave a mesmerizing effect on his audience and can drench them in an incessant shower of ambrosia. He is one of the very few composers who continues to write his musical notes preferring the style over the technological tools and performs with a live orchestra at stage. His music is such that it cannot be brought within a specific genre or trend. The Friday night musical journey transformed the audience to different realms of blissful space, far from the mundane world.
The five-hour non-stop musical delight was an audio and visual treat for his fans.
Most of the songs resonated well to everyone, as the tunes were popular in both languages. The show opened with a rich musical interlude by Ilayaraja with his signature “Janani Janani” whetting the appetite of the crowd for a divine treat. Following his best in class performance was a mind-blowing rendition by Singer Karthik.
Ilaiyaraja had lined up heavy-hitting legends S.P.Balasubrahmanyam, Hariharan, Mano, Chitra, Bhavadarini, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Geeta Madhuri, all singing their best hits of the maestro. Listening to S.P.Balasubrahmanyam live with Ilayaraja’s orchestra was a blessing and life time opportunity for the Bay area Indian community. Legends Chitra, Mano and Hariharan rendered hit melodies from evergreen 80s. Singers walked through their memory lane and spoke about their association with the Maestro and lavished heaps of praise on his perfection and professionalism.
The highlight of the night was amazingly synchronized orchestra, rich in strings and percussion. The musical treat ended with a rewrite to one of his famous tunes from Nayagan and he appreciated all those Telugu and Tamil fans who have made a home for themselves in United States, for sharing this historic night with him, which was certainly one to remember for all those present. The timeless feel of it transcends all kinds of literal and metaphorical boundaries. With over 30 years of delivering musical treat to his fans, he still holds his fort and enjoys a huge and loyal patronage.
Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
