Ilaiyaraaja's Symphony No. 1, "Valiant," is now available on streaming platforms via the Mercuri Foundation, released on June 1, 2026, more than a year after its live debut. The four-movement work, comprising "The Journey," "Solace," "Frontier," and "Triumph," runs just under 46 minutes.
The symphony premiered live on March 8, 2025, across two nights at London's Eventim Apollo, performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and more than 80 musicians on stage, conducted by Mikel Toms. The performances made Ilaiyaraaja, then 81, the first Asian film composer to debut a Western classical symphony in London, and the first Indian composer to create a full-length Western classical symphony.
The studio recording was produced by Sriram Bakthisaran and recorded by Matthew Bennett, with the accompanying vinyl release featuring the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, a separate recording from the London premiere's live orchestra. The LP edition has already drawn attention among collectors since its release earlier this year.
"Valiant" follows Ilaiyaraaja's 2005 oratorio "Thiruvasakam in Symphony," considered the first Indian oratorio, extending his orchestral ambitions into a formal Western symphonic structure. He is set to tour the work across 13 countries and has confirmed a second symphony, "Symphonic Dances," is already in development.
The streaming release effectively opens the symphony to audiences who could not attend the London shows, turning what was initially a live, ticketed event into a permanent part of Ilaiyaraaja's recorded catalogue. For an artist entering his ninth decade, the move signals a composer still actively expanding his range, this time into a global classical format built specifically to travel well beyond the boundaries of Indian film music.
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