Jul 02, 2005 10:11 AM
9421 Views
(Updated Jul 04, 2005 10:11 AM)
When I was a kid and watched K.Balachander's films under his Kavithalaya banner, there was this small chanting comes in the beginning of the title card ''agara muthala ezhuththellam'', the first couplet of Great Thirukkural. It was composed and sung by none other than Ilaiyaraaja. That was so unique, catchy and still had the divine feeling. I was wondering why Ilaiyaraaja should not attempt to bring those kinds of works in the new format that appeal to the next generation. And here is ''Thiruvasagam''; my wish came true after so many years and on 30th June. I visited the music shop couple of times even before the album was released just to make sure that I was not late to get my hands on the album. Then came July 1st, I visited the store in the morning and grabbed my CD. There were other IR fans who snatched their CDs as well. I am so happy to see the kind of response the publicity created. Anyway here is a small review (I can neither elaborate on the lyrics side since it is so alien to me nor the musical aspects of this album).
The album has six tracks running for 64:10 minutes.
Poovaar Senni Mannan - Ilaiyaraaja
Pollaa Vinayen - Ilaiyraaaja, Roy Harcourt
Pooerukonum Purantharanum - Ilaiyaraaja, Bavatharini
Umbarkatkarasaey - Ilaiyaraaja
Muthu Natramam - Unnikrishnan, Madhu Balakrishnan, Vijay Jesudas, Manjari, Asha, Gayathri & Chorus
Puttril Vazh Aravaun Anjen - Ilaiyaraaja
Songs:
If you expect typical devotional kind of songs, be prepared for a new journey. The songs have taken a different path and bring you unexpected feelings. Definitely a trendsetter in this genre. While the voices chant Manikavasagar's verses, the orchestral parts give you a grand musical effect. On my first hearing, I was little bit hesitant to accept this form because my ears are trained to listen to devotional albums with tabla, flute, and veena in a traditional way. But take my word; you will love the songs after couple of hearings. I am so hooked to this album now and have been hearing continuously. There are shades of sirai chalai, Guru and Avatharam here and there, but still songs are too good.
Voices:
Many people worried about Ilaiyaraaja singing all the songs of this novel effort. But after listening to it, I must say that he has done an amazing job by singing 5 songs in this album. If he would have gone for other cine playback singers, these songs would not have this divine feeling. And Roy Harcourt brings Broadway musical effect to the second song. I just love when he goes ''so many forms...'' in high pitch. Perfect perfect voice selection! Bavatharini joins Raaja in the third song; she does not disappoint us either with her sweet rendition. The fifth song is sung by a lot of people offering their voices minimally and to the choir kind of chorus parts. So hats off to Ilaiyaraaja for his singers selection and his effort to get the diction perfect.
Orchestra:
Budapest Symphony Orchestra has performed the orchestral part of the album. They have worked before with Raaja for Hey Ram, Guru, and one hindi film. The multi-layered music composition is just awesome. I cannot explain their performance in detail due to my illiteracy in the music. But I love and enjoy what they have performed in this album. They have done flawless job.
Other people:
Stephen Schwartz wrote bits of lyrics for just one song, the second song. I wish he should have been used to other songs too. His words are perfect. And the album is mixed and mastered by Richard King and he has done a fabulous job too.
Final note:
What makes this album great? Basically I am not a god believer and I don't understand the Tamil verses. Still I can enjoy this album, that is the potential of it. Certainly Music has no barriers! The only disappointment in this album is there is no translation for verses included in the lyrics book.
My humble request to Raaja ''Please spend more of your time to literary works of Tamil and come out with albums every year. Build an auditorium in Chennai and write Silappathikaram, Mahabaratham, and Ramayanam in Broadway musical style and perform them around the year and make something similar to Broadway in NY in Chennai. People and fans will love it''
Big record companies were hesitant to release this album and I am sure they missed out a golden opportunity to cash in. I am sure this album will be a sure hit and will definitely bring more profits than any other commercial albums. I sincerely thank the people behind this project, Tamilmayyam, tis-usa team, for releasing an extraordinary album. I hope this is just the beginning and more should follow the success of ''Thiruvasagam''.
