Behind the scenes! Ilaiyaraaja shares glimpse into English classical symphony Valiant

New Delhi: Ilaiyaraaja, a renowned musician, composer, lyricist, playback singer, and orchestrator, has composed over 7,000 songs. Nicknamed ‘Isaignani’ and ‘Maestro’, Ilaiyaraaja is among the first Indian composers to use Western classical music harmonies and string arrangements in Indian film music.

Taking to X, Ilaiyaraaja shared a glimpse into the recording of his first English classical symphony, Valiant. Describing the journey behind his magnum opus, the composer showed pride in his latest work. Here is what he had to say.

Ilaiyaraaja shares behind-the-scenes video for first classical symphony

Ilaiyaraaja shared a link to give his fans a glimpse into Valiant. Ilaiyaraaja’s video shows him speaking to the musicians of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, expressing his love for music. After years of writing music for films and records, writing a symphony struck him on a seemingly random day. “When I started writing, I never thought I would record with you all. I never imagined. There is no good and bad in music. Each and every note is perfect – on its own,” said Ilaiyaraaja.

Take a look below!

music is an emotion and Valiant is my tribute to you all. witness the journey behind Symphony No. 1https://t.co/oC8gT8BDZA @OneMercuri @IMMOffl https://t.co/KNJtaZ2jR3

— Ilaiyaraaja (@ilaiyaraaja) January 25, 2025

The BTS video also shows Mikel Toms of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra speaking about his experience working with Ilaiyaraaja. While describing the symphony, Mikel explains that Ilaiyaraaja synthesised different elements into a ‘really colourful, texturally brilliant piece of music’. Further, Sriram Bakthisaran, Mercuri Group CEO congratulated Ilaiyaraaja for his feat and said, “Today is truly a historic day for Maestro and his millions and millions of fans throughout the world. It has taken 49 years, 1500 films. This has been his dream for many years. We are glad we did what we did today.”