Music maestro Ilaiyaraaja achieved a historic milestone by premiering his first-ever western classical symphony, Valiant, at London’s Eventim Apollo on March 8.
Accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, he became the first Indian and Asian film composer to internationally debut a symphony, earning global admiration reported India Today.
Ilaiyaraaja, often hailed as Raaja Sir, recorded Valiant with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of its creation. He revealed it was a spontaneous decision to compose a symphony, a significant leap from his decades-long career in film music.
The symphony, spanning four movements, featured pure western classical elements in the first two sections, while the third and fourth movements incorporated Indian classical influences.
The event drew an enthusiastic audience, with fans travelling from India to witness history. London-based pianist Anirudh Krishna described it as “surreal,” while University of Leicester lecturer Sylvian Patrick Jesudoss noted that decoding the symphony’s tonal shifts could take years.
Such was the impact that the violinists, at the end of the performance, requested an encore of the third movement, a rare gesture highlighting its brilliance.
Although Valiant contained no film background scores, Ilaiyaraaja delighted audiences with an orchestral medley of his iconic compositions, including Poove Sempoove, Raaja Raajathi and Madai Thirandhu.
The orchestra also performed scores from Guru and India’s first animated film Pandavas.
Mr Jesudoss was particularly moved when Ilaiyaraaja sang Idhayam Poguthe as the orchestra played Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin praised Ilaiyaraaja ahead of the event, calling Valiant the “crown jewel” of his countless achievements.
With a career spanning over four decades, Ilaiyaraaja’s influence on Indian music remains profound. His symphony debut cements his legacy as a global musical icon, bridging cinematic and classical music on an unprecedented scale.
