Composing is a different cup of tea: Ilaiyaraja

Isaignani Ilaiyaraja might be delighted that his background score for Pazhassi Raja has been recognized at the national and international level, but the maestro is annoyed that music directors these days are known as composers.

Speaking to a leading daily recently, Ilaiyaraja said, "According to me, there are no composers these days. Don't call keyboard players composers. When I was asked to compose the music for Pazhassi Raja, I visualized every shot and its execution on screen. It helped me do a better job. The music of the film should translate what the director has in mind. That is called composing," said Ilaiyaraja.

The maestro also added that technology has invaded music, making it lose its sheen. "Technology has made music jarring and hence music has lost its originality," concluded the maestro.