Film music across shores

Concerts are an enigma. I mean why would you pay and congregate to listen to an orchestra belting out numbers you could access anywhere anytime with better sound quality and of your choice? It's hard to understand but then it's probably about sharing the joy and applauding the composer collectively especially if he's present in person. If you live abroad it's a good chance to get out of the grind and meet friends you seldom get to. Singing along and letting the feeling of nostalgia seep is the bonus.

Taking a renowned artiste abroad and travelling with him sounds exciting but the planning, logistics and execution can prove to be ardous and in the end you just want it to get over without hitches. Ask Sriram of Mercuri Media, also the maestro's confidante who's managed to co-ordinate with organisers of Indian origin and get Ilaiyaraja to the USA twice since 2016. That's no mean task considering the maestro is a stickler for professionalism. It involves at least seven months of painstaking planning after identifying potential parties. Ilaiyaraja's only demand is for a spacious room, simple home-cooked vegetarian food and solitude. He rarely ventures out, has a specific shopping list mostly stuff for his grand children and would rather visit a local temple than a famous monument. That is when he's not scheduled to rehearse or check the sound quality at the venue.

The Indian diaspora in Chicago has yearned for but never played host to Ilaiyaraja. When they got wind that a tour was being planned Cloud 9 Events with the help of Raghu sealed the deal with enthusiasm requesting a mix of Tamil and Telugu hits. Naperville is a quiet, beautifully laid out Western suburb away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago. There are plenty of 'desis' of course who commute to work. After entertaining a packed crowd in San Jose the indefatiguable 'Isai Gnani' flew down to New Delhi for a few hours to recieve the prestigious Padma Vibhushan. Lack of sleep and a confused body clock does not deter him from calling for a rehearsal in the hotel's banquet hall. 30 musicians from the famed Budapest symphony orchestra are touring with the maestro. This is other than 30 of his regular musicians. They had been sent the list of songs and the score but Raja insists on one final rehearsal on the day of the concert. Singer Mano shows him a news clip of the honour being conferred while Chitra touches his feet like she unfailingly does. After some banter it's down to the venue to check the stage and sound. The Naperville Yard Indoor Sports Complex boasts of a covered football field with an artificial surface. The echoing sound check apparently has scared a few kids in the complex and an irked teacher complains. An uneasy calm prevails with the organisers trying to argue.

It's a windy, chilly day, not unusual for Chicago. Cars start snaking in a couple of hours before the scheduled start. Usually made to queue outside for safety reasons the inclement weather forces the authorities to let the growing crowds into the foyer. There are loud greetings as everyone seems to know each other. It looks more like a concert in Music Academy. The average age is around 35, people who were probably students when Ilaiyaraja stoked their emotions with his melodious music.

After some lame attempts at humour while waiting the sixty member orchestra finally files in much to the relief of the restless crowd. You know the maestro is ascending the podium when the ovation touches a crescendo. He starts with the timeless 'Janani, Janani' followed by 'Om Shivoham' thus unleashing a torrent of lilting numbers. His Telugu hits are belted out in regular intervals. He introduces Laszlos Kovacs the conductor of the Budapest orchestra as someone he sought and learnt a lot from. Laszlos said he always looked forward to working with the Indian maestro. Ilaiyaraja has the reputation of being grumpy and intolerant. The crowd was surprised to see the pleasant side, pulling Mano's leg, narrating anecdotes and not minding it when enthusiastic fans broke into a dance regularly. Fans knew the song coming up even as the initial strains were played. Haricharan was a revelation with his effortless singing while some of the Super Singer contestants like Madhu Iyer who form the chorus also got to sing individually. Time flew by with many a song being followed by shouts of 'encore'.

The inexplicable delay, chaotic seating and the terrible acoustics were forgotten when the lilting, timeless tunes flowed. After a couple of hours rest all of them have to catch an early morning flight to Hartford where he's performing for the first time. The Raja still reigns.

sshivu@yahoo.com