The maestro has composed songs and background scores (unlike today's music directors who sub-contract) for no less than 1000 films! I don't think there's even a single music composer worldwide who comes even close.
While he has predominantly composed for Tamil and Telugu films, he has composed substantially for Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and even Bengali and Oriya films.
He is a consummate composer, a musician's musician. A truly creative genius, whose colossal talent is almost incomparable. From great masters like Paul Mauriat, Naushad, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Balamurali Krishna and Zubin Mehta to renowned musicologists such as Carl Dahlhaus and Victor Rebeiro have vouched for his genius.
Ilayaraaja has transformed the musical landscape of Indian cinema and has masterfully handled Indian classical, folk as well as complex Western Classical forms including canon and fugues and poliphony.
He also holds the record as the first Asian to have composed an original symphony for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
A. R. Rahman said, "He is a genius by himself and is completely self-contained". Whoever has seen Ilaiyaraja compose are dumbfounded as to how, within minutes, he writes the entire song on paper, incorporating notations for the entire orchestra's score - which gets distributed and ready to play!
It's a shame, such a colossal talent has not been given due recognition from the rest of India. Balki's effort in organising this event is much appreciated.
