San Jose, CA: Maestro Ilaiyaraja performed an Exclusive Live Tamil Concert on September 11 at San Jose Event Center in Silicon Valley. The show was organized by B&B Entertainments, Kalalaya, 8k milesmedia group.
This spectacular event featured the musical journey of the Maestro in cinema through the years specifically Tamil cinema, on the occasion of him hitting the 1000 movie milestone.
The concert featured a Symphony Live Orchestra consisting of more than 50 musicians, chorus and eminent singers of South Indian cinema such as Chitra, Sadhana Sargam, Mano, Karthik, Priya Himesh, Anitha Karthikeyan and many more. Popular Kollywood actor Prakash Raj was also part of the concert.
There was an exclusive Telugu concert on Sept 10 organized by BATA. Speaking on the occasion, Babita Balamurugan, B&B Entertainments, said it was her privilege to host the legend and be part of his journey, it is a dream come true to me, she added.
Regarded as one of the finest music composers in India, Ilaiyaraja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, singer, and songwriter. He has composed more than 6000 songs and provided film scores for more than 1000 films, particularly being acclaimed for his background scores. 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.
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.
The five-hour non-stop musical delight was an audio and visual treat for his fans. Ilayaraja 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 Sunday night musical journey transformed the audience to different realms of blissful space, far from the mundane world.
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.
This was followed by melodies and runaway hit from singers like Mano, Chitra, and Sadhna Sargam to name a few. The timeless feel of it transcends all kinds of literal and metaphorical boundaries. With over 30 years of delivering musical treat to his fans, Ilayaraja still holds his fort and enjoys a huge and loyal patronage.
Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
