A complete music director who does everything-composing, orchestration, arrangement of instruments, writing notations, conducting and even sound recording and balancing of tracks, Ilayaraja is a one-man band of harmony and rhythms. Ilayaraja has been so acclaimed because his film numbers run the entire gamut ----folk, western, rock and roll and carnatic classical. Listening to him over the years is to visit a comprehensive music library.
As demand mounted for his 'new' sound increased, Ilayaraja emerged the King of Tamil film music in early 1980s. Besides Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films, he has scored music for Hindi films and has worked with noted Indian poets and lyricists such as Gulzar, Kannadasan, Vairamuthu and T S Rangarajan (Vaali) and worked with directors such as Mani Ratnam, K Balachander, K Vishwanath and Singeetham Srinivasa Rao.
Ilayaraja's genius lies not in his orchestrated lilt but in his intuitive feel of instruments and their melodies thereof. And it is not just in film music. The recording of his Symphony No1 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) of London under the baton of John Scott in July 1993 is a good case in point. Recently, he came up with the symphonic rendition of Thiruvasagam. That was not so much muci but ambrosia from heaven.
Ilayaraja's composition (Rakkama Kaiya Thattu) from the movie Thalapathi (1991) was the top most in a BBC World Top Ten music poll. His music for Nayakan (1987) was ranked by TIME Magazine as one of the all-time 100 best movies.
Ilayaraja has composed music for events such as the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant that was held in Bangalore and for a documentary called India 24 Hours.
Ilayaraja has won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the films Saagara Sangamam (1984), Sindhu Bhairavi (1986) and Rudraveena (1989).
He was conferred the title Isaignani by Tamilnadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and received the Kalaimamani Award, an annual award for excellence in the field of arts from the Government of the State of Tamilnadu.
He was conferred honorary doctorates by Annamalai University and Madurai Kamarajar University. He has received an Award of Appreciation from the Foundation and Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America and later was presented with an honorary citizenship and key to the Teaneck Township by John Abraham, Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, USA.
Still going strong is Ilayaraja has groomed several talents like S P Balasubramaniam, K J Yesudas, Chitra, Mano, and Swarnalatha among others.
Talking of Ilayaraja's songs individually is a futile exercise. Like a great poem, its impact lies in what you are and who you are. It can appeal to the poet, philosopher and the play child equally.
We have not, if you noticed carefully, talked individually about Ilayaraja's songs here. In fact we wanted to. But where do start? Where do we end? More difficultly, what do we leave out? How do we do justice in mere mortal words to his works in Uthiripookal, Johnny, Mudhal Mariyadhai, Sindhu Bhairavi, Thambikku Endha Ooru, Idhaya Kovil, 16 Vayathinale, Sagara Sangamam...the list is actually inexhaustible. It is an impossible task. All the roses in his musical bouquet are fragrant and fresh forever. Rather than we telling you about his songs, we will let you do one thing: Just close your eyes, and let some of the best film music in the last twenty years play in your mind. The odds are high for them being Ilayaraja's. That is his success. He is forever playing inside you.
His is the music of life. It is the music of nature. It is the throb of heart, the strum of wind, the rhythm of trees, and the taps of rain. It is this world.
