Thiruvasagam..

Finally bought the 'Thirvasagam' by Illaiyaraaja CD. There is no 'in symphony' in the name of the CD as told by Raaja himself. It comes in a nice package with a booklet containing all the songs in the handwriting of Raaja. Heard the songs yesterday morning once I got up. I dont know where to start this. With praise for writing the songs which even after a 1000 years can be sung with a chorus in Budapest without any damage to the meaning and the reverence they invoke or the attempt by Raaja to take the songs and write music that transcends borders and inspire listeners without regard to the content of the songs. This is not your normal recitation of the songs in the traditional ways (On a different note, there was a beautiful rendition of 'Nalayira Divya Prabhantam' by the priests in the Perumal temple in Bridgewater,NJ which still is ringing in the ears!) but taking the songs and blending it with choruses and a 120 instruments to come up with awefully beautiful music that just blows one away. It is not sung in the traditional order also and Illaiyaraaja has taken some liberties to come up with the songs but he has sung them with fervor and his voice has made a big difference in the listening experiance. This is a must-have for anyone and BUY it.