A. R. Rahman made his debut at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London with a unique collaboration involving UK-based artists, presenting the world premiere of an orchestral composition conceived as a message of unison.

Rahman joined hands with RAH associate artists Rushil Ranjan and Abi Sampa to co-compose Rangreza, a musical piece blending Eastern and Western classical traditions.

He was accompanied on stage by his Sunshine Orchestra from Chennai, which merged with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for a series of four concerts over the weekend.

“What I was imagining with this piece was that in today’s world, can we go past our differences and go into unison,” Rahman said in a statement.

“The Royal Albert Hall is a place where history and music converge, and it is an honour to share my work on such a revered stage... To stand in this legendary hall with new beginnings and timeless memories intertwined is truly humbling and inspiring,” he added.

Accompanied by a harmonium, the Oscar-winning composer performed a selection of his well-known Bollywood tracks, including Jaage Hain from Guru and Khwaja Mere Khwaja from Jodhaa Akbar, reimagined in a live orchestral format.

“I hope that our music takes audiences through the same journey that it has taken us, where they can see the links between disparate styles (of music),” said Ranjan, an award-winning London-based composer, arranger and producer.

Rangreza was co-commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Toronto's TO Live and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

British-Indian dancer Akram Khan also took to the stage for specially choreographed performances, including Candles/Soul Escape, alongside singer Abi Sampa and the London Voices choir, conducted by Melvin Tay. Soloists Sarthak Kalyani and Janan Sathiendran added Indian classical elements to the concert series, supported by the Bagri Foundation.

“In this divided world, it is a complete joy to bring people and cultures together in a spirit of friendship," James Ainscough, CEO of Royal Albert Hall, said.

Matt Todd, RAH director of programming, added, “One of the things we wanted to do was to invite the Sunshine Orchestra to come and perform from India... set up by AR’s Foundation, intended to give Indian musicians an opportunity to perform and play together, who may not otherwise get a chance.

"Their story is really at the heart of these concerts. It’s about opportunity, it’s about transcendence and it’s about a meeting of the Eastern and Western cultures.”