Top ludes - I mean Mt.Everest level preludes / interludes / postludes - of IR

There are certain IR ludes that I WANT to hear ONE MORE time after listening to it for the latchaththi onnAvadhu time!

Let us list ONLY such ludes in this thread and discuss about them (in detail) as to what makes them SO SPECIAL and makes one YEARN for them again and again!

I'm also running a quick-quiz on twitter on one such lude that made me listen to a song on repeat - non stop for a drive of some 200 miles last afternoon.

It's the second interlude of a song featuring kuRumbu SPB in a KB film. I've teased some friends by telling there's role for Raguman and some started guessing PM songs / theme music

Rishi has so far got closer...

Will post about the song & that terrific 2nd interlude once someone cracks the quiz on twitter or here

You mean some song from Puthu Puthu Arthangal?  I find it hard to guess further which song (IF it is that film) because both Keladi Kanmani and Kalyana Maalai have great interludes.  Choosing Mt Everest from IR interludes is incredibly hard.  If I had to go for one, I would always go for the second interlude of Sangeetha Meham.

crimson king wrote:You mean some song from Puthu Puthu Arthangal?  

Yes sir!

Rishi cracked it in twitter - the second interlude of 'guruvAyoorappA'

A big personal favourite 

Also, one of SPB's kuRumbest!

Well, there is no such thing as a MT Everest IR lude, it can only be Mt Everest of the moment . That being the case, I will start with  Aayiram thAmarai mottukalee 1st interlude. I think I might have already written about this song earlier somewhere. I never get tired of listening to it. The dynamics of the wailing Shenai, Mridangam, and flute violin call-response always captivate me.

GuruvAyoorappa is also actually in my regular playlist these days. Breezy, stylish ludes!

poonthaLiraada. simply purely music itself - it is something that could not have been created
with mere human intellect or consciousness. I can smell the hand of the "super consciousness" in every
millisecond of that song. The energy felt in that song is not creative - it is primordial. yes instruments
and humans have tried their best to channel it into our realm. But it belongs to a different realm.
Realm of Gods.

Thanks App for creating this topic.

I have researched Raja's interludes for 7 years and continue to do that. I have an unfair advantage of dominating this thread.

It is unfair to look for one or two. I can definitely provide the top 50 and refer to my blog every time I refer to an interlude. If the moderator of this group is fine with it, I will take a shot at it. I will not be upset if I am asked to stay out of this.

PoovAdai kAtru ludes will probably find their way in my top 25. Great chords and guitar work in the first interlude, calm flute beginning to the 2nd disrupted by frenzied counterpoint, chromatic descent and a neat little keyboard trill leading to the charanam.

ravinat wrote: I will take a shot at it.

Sir, idhu unga veedu!

jamAynga!

We're only hungry to consume what you write

VaLaiyOsai First.
sAmi kitta first.

I thought App would tell me to stay out of this...

Now, this is a bit difficult as the way my blog is structured does not cater to this topic exactly - just separating the top ludes of Raja.

I will start with some of his flute ludes - the only reason being the #1 lude in my opinion is Etho Mogum (Kozhi Koovuthu 1979).

#1  Etho Mogum (Kozhi Koovuthu  Tamil 1979). If there is an award that you have to give to Raja for a brilliant interlude above everything else, I will go for this one. You have everything you can ask for - brilliant cannons, chorus, flute counter melody, violins. This is the only interlude Raja played to Paul Mauriat.

#5 Putham Pudhu Kaalai (Alaigal Oiyvathillai Tamil 1981). This is a masterpiece with violins and flute. Of course SJ's humming. I would rate this work on flute and strings as one of the finest in the world. The #5 is just a placeholder. I may get all screwed up when I start reviewing the other interludes.

#10 Thalattum Poongatru from Gopura Vasalile (Tamil 1990). A masterpiece with flute and bells. Simply bewitching.

#11 Vana Kuyile from Priyanka (Tamil 1994). This is a superb piece of work on flute that continues to defy description

 You can hear all these interludes alone here:

http://geniusraja.blogspot.ca/2008/08/counterpoint-with-flute.html

  #1 is certain in my rating. The others are just placeholders.  Doing Raja's top 50 interludes is very hard and easy at the same time.

guruvAyoorappA

That 2nd interlude from 2.35 is simply ecstasy! (Same is the brief prelude)

The interesting part is major % of the prelude and the 2nd interlude is done by (probably) synth

i.e. whatever sounds the tfmpage people attributed to that "cheap 50$ casio keyboard" that IR had (compared to the costlier toys owned by later-day big fellows). Of course, there is the terrific flute in the prelude and the rush of strings towards the end of the 2nd interlude but then they are supported possibly by synth bass & synth drum pads. (I could be wrong about the percussion stuff, it could be real conga and such, but what awesome sounds!)

I guess IR himself was at peak elements and was so happy about what he did for PPA songs.

Which could be similar to how he felt for nizhalgaL and it could be one reason why he agreed to show up on-screen himself.

And, that was probably why he was more than upset when KB messed up the BGM exercise

Personally, I've upgraded this prelude / 2nd interlude combo of this SPB-stunner to my top shelf!
(i.e. along with certain interludes I keep harping about - like the 2nd interlude of orig NEPV song of NN and such!)

ravinat sir, for some reasons, the clips on your blog post do not play on my machine (tried with both IE and chrome)

That way, I could not figure about what exact lude you're talking about; however, there cannot be two opinions about ludes or anything of EdhO mOgam

Obviously, "I'm-really-proud-about-it" stuff of IR, to the extent that he showcased it to PM & RDB

A quick ten of my top preferences, more to come (i.e. latcham muRaiyum adhaRku mElum kEtka Asai):

1. postlude of iLaya nilA (payaNangaL mudivadhillai)

2. 1st interlude of madai thiRandhu (nizhalgaL)

3. 2nd interlude of madai thiRandhu (nizhalgaL)

4. 2nd interlude of idhu oru pon mAlaippozhudhu (nizhalgaL)

5. prelude of poongathavE thAzh thiRavAy (nizhalgaL)

6. 1st interlude of Ayiram thAmarai mottukkaLE (alaigaL Oyvadhillai)

7. 2nd interlude of nee thAnE en pon vasantham (ninaivellAm nithyA)

8. prelude of isai mEdaiyil (iLamaikkAlangaL, each time I get goosebumps)

9. 2nd interlude of dEvadhai oru dEvadhi (pattAkkaththi bhairavan)

10. 1st interlude of engengO sellum en eNNangaL (pattAkkaththi bhairavan)

I guess each of the above had been posted about umpteen times in tfmpage but each of them deserve a post...

app_engine wrote:ravinat sir, for some reasons, the clips on your blog post do not play on my machine (tried with both IE and chrome)

That way, I could not figure about what exact lude you're talking about; however, there cannot be two opinions about ludes or anything of EdhO mOgam

Obviously, "I'm-really-proud-about-it" stuff of IR, to the extent that he showcased it to PM & RDB

App

   I checked and it does work. Divshare takes a bit of time depending on your bandwidth to play. But it does play.

Continuing with violin interludes...

#3 Poomalaiye Thol Seravaa - Pagal Nilavu (Tamil 1986) - Somebody asked me once about the song where the most CPs are used. I dismissed that request as a silly one, though I counted at least 16 occurrences in this song. The interludes have some brilliant violin parts. There is simply no interlude like this one.

#4 Ananda Ragam from Panneer Pushpangal (Tamil 1981). Though Raja dismissed it as an exercise, this interlude continues to haunt every Raja listener even today. What an interplay between violins, flute and briefly shehnai!

#6 Maalaiyil Yaaro - Chatriyan (Tamil 1992) - Tremelo strings and sax. Raja would literally converted the non-believer if he/she hears these interludes

#8 Nilaviu Thoongum Neram from Kunguma Chimizh (Tamil 1985). I love the second interlude. I could not believe that this is film music when I heard it first. Perfect WCM classic violin CP.

#9 Nilavondru Kandaen from Kai Rasikaren (Tamil 1984). The prelude of this song is a Bach experiment of creating an impression of climbing notes, when it is actually not.

You can hear all this here in my blog post on violin CPs.

http://geniusraja.blogspot.ca/2008/08/counterpoint-with-violins.html

What about #2?  Deva sangeetham from Guru (Malayalam 1997) takes that position. I like the way the violins are arranged and more importantly the way Raja has used those kettle drums. There is no song like this from an interlude PoV. Kettle drums used to raise the tempo of the final lines of the charanam as well as its use in a march pattern in the prelude.

#7 - Aruna Kirana from Guru (Malayalam 1997). This is the first taste of a decent symphonic arrangement in Indian films (all of Guru).

Ravi is like Raja .. he will keep writing/researching whether anybody reads his blog or not.. So I thank app for unleashing Ravi on us on this :-)
Oh .. what a pleasure to listen to just the music on Rav's blog.. just the music brings back the nostalgia... that madai thiranthu music just took me back to my teens.
BTW, I was visiting a kannadiga friend in Ireland (1999)  and he was playing kannada songs in the car while driving around the beautiful Irish country side. I was able to pick out the Raja songs in his collection just based on the presence/type of counterpoints. I think we can use counterpoints easily as a Raja signature in a song.

Now playing - En vAnile. This was one of the first songs of IR that I used to play on loop back in school hostel days, before knowing anything about IR except that he was a 'yesteryear MD'. My mom had casually given the cassette to me when I was on vacation back home and I have been hooked to this album ever since. .  The interludes of this song like many others are a lesson in how to build tension, create anticipation, maintain unpredictability and evoke nostalgia - if indeed a musical definition of such a thing is possible. Notice how the first interlude starts in a very low key manner (no percussion) with piano, flute and solo violin whispering to each other, slowly bracing the listener for more listening pleasures, teasing you to guess what's coming next. The long sustained solo violin note with strings playing over it creates an enormous tension and as you wonder how he is going to resolve it, he's already done it with a rush of violins and the unexpected piano notes. The second interlude is pure nostalgia for me - even Rajni agrees, you can see him lost in reflection  . I must say the song is picturised quite nicely by Mahendran and it is not embarrassing to share the video  





I can't quite define it, but it would be nice if someone can provide some insight on how or why IR songs evoke nostalgia, particularly for someone of my generation who didn't grow up in those times. Not just this song, but even a song like 'Edho ninaivugal', 'Annakili unnai theduthe' all which I first heard only a few years ago are just incredibly evocative for some reason (and by the lyrics, they are meant to be so, so IR definitely plans them that way) I am struggling to put my finger on it, maybe I should stop over analysing and simply enjoy  .

What a topic. Thousands to choose from. My choice for now. Prelude: En Ganam Indru Arangerum. The waft of sorrow as the lead guitar strums with the bass. Just the effect it produces is something otherworldly. The interludes with the strings section are freaking brilliant too. Nostalgic song too, picturized every where I grew up, just that it was picturized before I was born 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK8way6JhVs

Interludes: Poo Malarndhida. Never before or after have I heard a song that combines the best of Carnatic (Kharaharapriya) with Carnatic instruments to give a western sound, sounding very stylish. Insanely brilliant song. The first interlude. Pppaaahhh! is the only expression I have. Violins, guitar playing an extremely stylized WCM-ized Kharaharapriya leading to an absolutely ethereal flute to cap the lude. Peak of harmonizing WCM sounds inside a Carnatic framework (or is it vice-versa?). Yin and Yang existing in harmony. The second interlude is in no way inferior either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9WDlSHKTQs

Postlude: Ye Aatha Aathorama Vaariya. To all newage fellows, kuthu pOttA ippidi pOdunga da. The whistle at the end is just a freak out insane job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkTJXOAuld4

ravinat wrote:
App
I checked and it does work. Divshare takes a bit of time depending on your bandwidth to play. But it does play.

kEttAchchu sir! (Works fine at home, may be my workplace blocks the downloads - without giving any warning)

Awesome collection & notes!!

fring151 wrote:I can't quite define it, but it would be nice if someone can provide some insight on how or why IR songs evoke nostalgia, particularly for someone of my generation who didn't grow up in those times. Not just this song, but even a song like 'Edho ninaivugal', 'Annakili unnai theduthe' all which I first heard only a few years ago are just incredibly evocative for some reason (and by the lyrics, they are meant to be so, so IR definitely plans them that way) I am struggling to put my finger on it, maybe I should stop over analysing and simply enjoy  .

I don't think I can express this correctly, but let me try. I believe that's what IR calls it as alpha rhythm. The music he plays constitutes human relationships. He attacks at the DNA level. He even says that the music (his music) we like/listen for the first time is already there inside us. It is just that Maestro brings it out, that's the reason we feel that we already listen to it there by calling it as nostalgia. How beautiful isn't it?

V_S wrote:

fring151 wrote:I can't quite define it, but it would be nice if someone can provide some insight on how or why IR songs evoke nostalgia, particularly for someone of my generation who didn't grow up in those times. Not just this song, but even a song like 'Edho ninaivugal', 'Annakili unnai theduthe' all which I first heard only a few years ago are just incredibly evocative for some reason (and by the lyrics, they are meant to be so, so IR definitely plans them that way) I am struggling to put my finger on it, maybe I should stop over analysing and simply enjoy  .

I don't think I can express this correctly, but let me try. I believe that's what IR calls it as alpha rhythm. The music he plays constitutes human relationships. He attacks at the DNA level. He even says that the music (his music) we like/listen for the first time is already there inside us. It is just that Maestro brings it out, that's the reason we feel that we already listen to it there by calling it as nostalgia. How beautiful isn't it?

 Fabulous. I have experienced it too. I was neither there in the early 80s when he composed nor was musically aware when he produced some outstanding music in the 90s. But when I hear most of his music, it floors me, and to use Tamil itself, உள்ள போயி பெசஞ்சு, புழுஞ்சுரும். Some songs are some of the outstanding things of beauty the world of art has ever heard.

fring151 wrote: The second interlude is pure nostalgia for me - even Rajni agrees, you can see him lost in reflection  . I must say the song is picturised quite nicely by Mahendran and it is not embarrassing to share the video  





I can't quite define it, but it would be nice if someone can provide some insight on how or why IR songs evoke nostalgia, particularly for someone of my generation who didn't grow up in those times. Not just this song, but even a song like 'Edho ninaivugal', 'Annakili unnai theduthe' all which I first heard only a few years ago are just incredibly evocative for some reason (and by the lyrics, they are meant to be so, so IR definitely plans them that way) I am struggling to put my finger on it, maybe I should stop over analysing and simply enjoy  .

There is a dream sequence-like quality to that interlude.  Not dream sequence in the crude way often used in our films, but this music is like a dream gently unfolding before your eyes. Perhaps, the ascending pattern of the flute as well as the guitar chords also evoke somebody passing through his formative years.  The violin passage (which is simply incredible) also evokes the feeling of reviving memories from the past.  What all you said about nostalgia is actually there in terms of the emotions evoked by the music in that interlude.  As Vijay said, alpharhythms.  IR clearly understands just how much music can manipulate our feelings.

Ten more additions that are 100000+ for me:

11. Prelude of uRavenum pudhiya vAnil (nenjaththaikkiLLAdhE)

12. 1st interlude of UPV (NK)

13. 2nd interlude of UPV (NK)

14. 1st interlude of paruvamE pudhiya pAdal pAdu (NK)

15. 2nd interlude of PPPP (NK)

16. Prelude of Eh thenRalE (NK)

17. 1st interlude of ET (NK)

18. 2nd interlude of ET (NK)

AhA, since 8 of these came from a single album that IR did for Mahendran, let me pick two more of such great ludes for Mahendran and complete this 10

19. the sweet prelude of azhagiya kaNNE (udhirippookkaL) 

20. the terrific second interlude of AK (UP) - what a flow! And don't miss the fantastic bass guitar!

kiru wrote:Ravi is like Raja .. he will keep writing/researching whether anybody reads his blog or not.. So I thank app for unleashing Ravi on us on this :-)
Oh .. what a pleasure to listen to just the music on Rav's blog.. just the music brings back the nostalgia... that madai thiranthu music just took me back to my teens.
BTW, I was visiting a kannadiga friend in Ireland (1999)  and he was playing kannada songs in the car while driving around the beautiful Irish country side. I was able to pick out the Raja songs in his collection just based on the presence/type of counterpoints. I think we can use counterpoints easily as a Raja signature in a song.

Kiru

  Thanks for appreciating my intentions. I do not allow ads and really do not care about readership. His work needs to be documented and I have been constantly doing it for the past 7 years and have not posted only for 3 months in those years, as two of my research projects was not up to my expectation though I spent a lot of time on them.

  Do I struggle to find research topics or write about just Raja's work? Not for a moment, so far. Besides, there is nobody else who deserves my free time for intense research.

  After I complete this top 50 list (or whatever the number is), I will provide links to the interlude quizzes that I ran with youtube videos. If listening to an interlude sounds so good, imagine listening to 20 plus minutes of interludes stitched together. It's pure pleasure and any listener will realize that he is the best interlude composer ever.  A Raja interlude may sound good - but listening to properly balanced interludes from several songs set to more or less a uniform rhythm pattern is another matter. I am of the opinion that he still does film music only for the sheer pleasure that he gets in writing those interludes. There is no filmi pressure, no crazy story constraints (there are some exceptions in interludes for this) and it is a pure Raja playground.

  For those folks in India, I sent Suresh my stitched interlude collections some time ago. Sorry to put Suresh on the spot   You know what to do after that!