FAMED movie composer and musician Ilaiyaraaja has finally arrived in Kuala Lumpur ahead of his Saturday concert after a two-year delay due to the pandemic.
The 79-year-old will be accompanied by a 50-member orchestra to entertain at least 10,000 spectators at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec).
This will be the second time he will be performing in Malaysia, having first done so in 2017.
“Malaysia has always been a special place for me because of my fans who appreciate my songs and compositions for years.
“Due to the perseverance of the organisers following the pandemic, I am glad to be able to be on stage this Saturday,” said the maestro.
Meanwhile, he described his music composition process as nurturing a flowering plant, “watering it and watching it grow”.
“When the flower blooms and its essence is released, one remembers it, enjoys it and is always on their minds. Similarly, music releases that essence, which sticks with the fans and makes a mark in their memories.
“Even when the flower wilts and dies, that essence remains in their memories. In that context, so does music,” he said in a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
When asked about performing without frequent collaborator, the late singer S.P. Balasubramanyam, he quipped: “I have his son S.P. Charan here, in his stead.”
The concert was initially scheduled for March 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.
Needless to say, interest among fans in Malaysia has not faltered with more than 95% of tickets sold. According to the organisers, there are still seats available for sale on the website.
“The entertainment scene is one of the industries that was hit the hardest during the pandemic. Coming back to the stage with Ilaiyaraaja Live in KL is truly a blessing.
“So much has changed since Covid-19 hit us, but maestro’s promise to us never wavered and we are thankful for that,” said Mojo Projects chief executive officer Ratna Kumar Nadarajan.
Also present at the press conference is Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.
Ilaiyaraaja is India’s most critically acclaimed movie composer and musician, with dozens of awards to his name.
He was also conferred the illustrious honour of Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award from the Indian government. Earlier this year, he was nominated as a Member of Parliament, in the Indian upper parliament house.
In his nearly 50-year career, the musician has composed close to 7,000 songs and is credited for scoring for more than 1,000 movies.
A pioneer in the field, he set the trend of fusing Western orchestras into popular movie songs, in a variety of languages, like Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.
A 50-member orchestra will be accompanying him alongside other Indian music industry veterans. They include singers such as SP Charan, Mano, Yugendran Vasudevan, Kathik, Shweta Mohan, Mukesh, Madhu Balakrishnan and Anitha Karthigeyan.
Organised by Mojo Projects, and in collaboration with Mitec, Ilaiyaraaja’s highly anticipated concert promises to recreate decades worth of musical memories over the four-hour-long event. – The Vibes, September 29, 2022
