Last year there was great debate on the topic of Rahman's standards and why his music is evolving. Mr. Dasun Abeysekera explained it very well with some scientific input on common human tendency. Also read the replies to the post at bottom of link...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/message/88894 <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/message/88894> ARR's Standard Deviation - Part I - Originality The most original songs of the 92-96 era, in my opinion, are Thee Thee from Thiruda Thiruda (93) and Mettupodu from Duet (94); and their respective albums too can be called the most original from ARR's highest creative standpoint. Roja would certainly have to be considered original if we compare ARR's originality to the relative originality of the musical backdrop of that era, but that is not what we are attempting here; I feel that compared with the aforementioned albums, Roja, along with the likes of Puthiya Mugham, Uzhavan, and Bombay would qualify as some of the most soulful and brilliantly crafted albums, but, not the most original; again, please keep in mind that my comparisons are confined to ARR's body of work and not extended to any comparison's with the work by any of his composer peers. Thiruda Thiruda (93) was a breakthrough album for ARR as he was able to match, if not exceed, the expectations surrounding his second post-Illayaraja Mani Ratnam production after Roja, which could not have been an easy task for a 25 year old who thought his first movie album would be his last! Thee Thee's stunning energy and freshness is only the icing on the cake after the beautiful vocal tapestry of Raasathi, the operatic grandeur of Veerapandi Kottayile, and barring its close references to Michael Jackson-like dance beats, Chandralekha as well. Duet (94), on the other hand, with an unprecedented use of Kadiri Gopalnath and his saxophone to showcase Carnatic music, was quite a daringly original attempt for a movie; to say both maestros pulled it off with shocking success, would be an understatement. So, has there been a song/album of that calibre in recent times? I think it will be an accurate statement to say that there has not been a song like Thee Thee or Mettupodu in recent times, certainly not a conceptually original album of Duet's kind, and most surely not an album for an Indian movie. Now why could that be? First of all, as you lose your youthful freshness and become enmeshed in a system, you lose a significant share of that rebellious spirit. Albert Einstein said during his latter years when he went on his quest to discover a Unified Field Theory, how much he wished he had that same rebellious spirit which fuelled his strength of mind and imaginative powers to overthrow the revered Laws of Sir Isaac Newton and his universe of absolute time and space with the new Relativity Theory. Similarly, in United States presidential politics, Sen. Barack Obama is touting his freshness in Washington as one of his biggest strengths for bringing about real change to the country. So, yes, time spent in any environment can significantly reduce your capacity for daring and originality, which is what we are seeing with ARR in India. However, let us not forget that we owe much of the advancement of the quality of Indian music to him and let's not be surprised if his most original work comes from his work abroad because that environment is still new to him and he has many colors to show to the rest of the world where he is not yet legend! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/message/88917 <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/message/88917> ARR's Standard Deviation - Part II - Aesthetic Judgment Aesthetic Judgment (Taste) I don't have to tell you that ARR's taste is of the highest possible kind compared with composers of all time. I mean how many composers the world-over has ever had the privilege of being compared to the ideal of Mozart, let alone being called one? Not even the kings of melody of the West Richard Rogers (of The Sound of Music (59) fame) Sir Francis Lai (Love Story (1970)), Maurice Jarr (Dr. Zhivago (1965)), or even Ennio Morricone, who have written some of the most soulful and moving music I have ever heard, have been told they are like Mozart, at least not to my knowledge. Most music lovers, and all great minds, Leo Tolstoy and Albert Einstein among them, have acknowledged unanimously that Mozart's music is the most perfect and the most universal imagined, no, let me use the word conjured, by any human being; because imagination, to many, could still mean there's some conscious involvement in that process of creation; perhaps, it is still a conscious process, but it is a far superior sense of consciousness that, by average human standards, it cannot be called one. If anybody here has seen the Oscar-winning movie Amadeus (84) by Milos Forman, you can see why it is so: Mozart's music, to use a phrase Einstein once used, seems like have simply been `plucked out of the universe'; the great scientist who adored Mozart and used to play his Sonatas on his little violin when he wanted a break from his scientific pursuits, says that compared to Mozart, Beethoven's music feels `too personal, almost naked.' Tolstoy, in his polemical book `What is Art?' destroys the kind of conscious creativity that he believes Beethoven and the followers of the Romantic movement that he charted, Richard Wagner, for example, brought about to Europe, overthrowing the musical dominance of the spontaneous and universal music of Mozart. In essence, Mozart's music and its perfection are not a result of conscious processing, they come from a superior sense of natural harmony and an extremely rare capability of letting go of one's self and connecting with the universal spirit and listening to it in all its infinite beauty. There cannot be a more fitting description of ARR's music and how he has conjured his magical output over the years; and it is no accident that the West would offer up their ideal for comparison with the best the East has offered to date. That sort of taste, a sincere kinship with the natural harmony and beauty of the universe, with God, if you will, years in an industry cannot fade away or dilute, and, if anything, I can confidently say that ARR's taste has, over the years, been refined like fine old wine, and I have not witnessed an instance where his aesthetic judgment, given the proper opportunities, has faltered beyond identification. In his choice of movies, directors, and lyrics, there maybe exceptions, but I will address these in a later category. It is difficult to pin down one or two works from the 92-96 period in which, like Rano said, beauty oozed out of every single phrase that he weaved, but I will pick two of my favorite songs `Kannalane' from Bombay (95) and `Uyirum Neeye' from Pavitra (94) in which I think ARR achieves the highest form of perfection. Sometime back, I analyzed the beauty of the song Uyirum Neeye from a conceptual viewpoint, so if anybody is interested, let me know and I will send it to you or post it on the forum. Kannalane (or Kehna Hai Kya), I hear, has entered the music textbooks in certain parts of the world (Canada, if I recall correctly)! Yes, these are songs of superior beauty that they have that universal appeal that Tolstoy hailed as the finest ingredient of the greatest of art. What about now? What are the ARR compositions within the past 5 years which evoke the same feelings in me? Piya Ho from Water (2005) and Do Kadam from Meenaxi (2004) for sure are my favorites from this period with Tere Bina from Guru not too far off. When I refer to the perfection of these songs, I mean that I don't feel that I need to remove any part, any phrase, any instrument, sound or note, everything is in the right place at the right time! If anybody felt differently about these songs, I would be curious to know which parts destroy the perfection of these songs. I can write an essay on the song Do Kadam and will do soon so that I can back up my feelings just like I did with Uyirum Neeye. Do Kadam is so personal for me that I don't want to hold it up as universal! This song symbolizes what ARR and I share in silence without speaking a single word with each-other, but by connecting to the same universal spirit that we both trust wholeheartedly and by whose mysterious ways we are awed day in and day out. The highest taste, as Immanuel Kant defines it, is always subjective, but universal, and it will always flow from God and only God; Not only is ARR connected with Him, he can articulate His beauty with such ease and finesse that it brings many a tear to my eye thinking how much of my faith I owe to ARR; Even as I share this very personal story with you, I can feel a warm tear roll down my cheek. Now if that's not beauty, I don't know what is. ~Avinash --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, $ Pavan Kumar $ <pawancum...@...> wrote: > > Ok..we have another term here.. " Rahman Standards" Just curious to know what It means, how it is measured and who sets these standards? > > --- On Fri, 7/17/09, Radheshyam B adyarsh...@... wrote: > > From: Radheshyam B adyarsh...@... > Subject: Re: [arr] Where is the glorious RAHMAN > To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com > Date: Friday, July 17, 2009, 4:54 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > First of all, a true rahman fan need not like whatever Rahman does. I agree that all the songs that u mentioned are really good when compared to songs by other MDs. But I feel they are not upto 'Rahman standards'. Compare these songs to Bombay Theme tune, Maa Tujhe Salaam, Oru deivam thanda poove, Vellai pookal, Do kadam, Tere Bina etc. When I read these kind of posts, I cant stop thinking why people are so narrow minded. > > > > --- In arrahmanfans@ yahoogroups. com, $ Pavan Kumar $ <pawancumarr@ ...> wrote: > > > > > > When I read these kind of posts..I don't know how to react..ofcourse. .It's really irriatating. ..If you guys are not able to enjoy songs like Kaise muje, Kabhi Kabhi, Kahin toh, Zindagi, Dil Ka Ristha, or even Pappu, then I really feel sorry for you guys....I dont have any problem though...these are your opinions.. > > > And what do you mean by True Rahman fan? Grow up dude.. > > > > > > --- On Tue, 7/14/09, kishore parayath <kishore.parayath@ ...> wrote: > > > > > > From: kishore parayath <kishore.parayath@ ...> > > > Subject: Re: [arr] Where is the glorious RAHMAN > > > To: arrahmanfans@ yahoogroups. com > > > Date: Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 10:37 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thiruda Thiruda is my alltime favourite too. Its TAMIL. > > > > > > U r in a way right bro. Ur feelings are exactly the same as many, in this group. But many dont have the courage to reveal it. I did reveal certain times, but I was disocuraged. What u said, is EXACTLY the problem with ARR's music nowadays. And some people dont want to tell it directly, and hence they hint it indirectly by starting topics like 'Do u want any change in ARR's Music?' . > > > > > > > > > There are no more Rangeelas, Thiruda Thirudas or JEANS... > > > > > > BTW, Dont include Dilli6 in ur list of ordinary albums. DILLI6 was very extra ordinary. The only thing is that, U will require several listenings to grasp each song. After grasping it..The songs would HAUNT u... > > > > > > > > > Rehna Tu is my favourite, but MASAKALLI is an entertainment machine.. After grasping the song, it wont spare u.. It will haunt u like anything!! Its like a Joyful Ride!! > > > > > > ANd listen to the songs 'MEHERBAAN' and HAWA SUN HAWA in ADA... U can find the heavenly ARR ingredients in them. It was not a commercial movie. In JODHA AKBAR, KHWAJA MERE KHWAJA is also an EXTRAORDINARY piece! > > > > > > > > > The thing is ARR should stop coming out with ordinary numbers(Which are good, in terms of other composers, but NOT in ARR STANDARDS).. like KABHI KABHI ADITI, GUZARISH, PAPPU CANT DANCE , SHANO SHANO, LATTOOO etc!!! > > > > > > > > > But IAM LOVING DELHI6 like anything!! And u can expect a LOT from SHANKAR's 'ENDHIRAN(ROBOT) ' and MANI RATNAM's 'RAAVAN' .. > > > > > > TAIMUR, I must tell u, that u r a TRUE FAN of ARR!! > > > > > > >
