Ilaiyaraaja: Music comes to life through technique, not technology

Legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja, who has been away from concerts for over five years, is returning to the stage yet again to regale music enthusiasts in Hyderabad on February 26. Ahead of his concert, the maestro interacted with the media at T-Hub Phase 2 in the city. Leading director AL Vijay had also come up with a brief video encapsulating his musical journey to promote the concert recently.

In response to a question on how technology has helped him in his prolific career, he said that technique of the musicians was more important than technology to add life to music. “The music comes to life through technique, not technology,” Ilaiyaraaja shared, while in the august company of Jayesh Ranjan (Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce and Information Technology (IT) Departments of Telangana) and popular playback singer Sunita.

Jayesh Ranjan expressed his happiness on Ilaiyaraaja’s presence for the event and said he was eagerly looking forward to the concert. “I can’t wait to get back on stage and connect with my fans through music. I hope to entertain you and contribute to your joy with many unforgettable performances on February 26,” Ilaiyaraaja added.

Sainath Goud Malkapuram, founder of Hyderabad Talkies, who’s organising the concert, believed that Ilaiyaraaja’s music is best remembered for its fusion of classical music with western soundscape. He stated Ilaiyaraja’s music had the power to evoke many emotions and that audiences were expecting a spellbinding performance from him.

“I grew up listening to Ilaiyaraaja’s music from the gramophone era to iPhone era,” singer Sunita mentioned, claiming it would be an honour to share the stage with the maestro. Ilaiyaraaja will be performing at Gachibowli stadium in Hyderabad on February 26. Ilaiyaraaja, whose Rangamarthanda will hit screens soon, will be teaming up with his son Yuvan Shankar Raja to compose for Naga Chaitanya’s cop drama Custody, a summer release.