Music of India
Mixing the soul of ragas with the heart beat of world genres, Anirudh Varma Collective’s ‘SABR’ reimagines Indian classical music with emotional depth, collaborative spirit, and a daring, immersive dwell expertise.
In an period the place boundaries between genres are more and more porous, pianist, composer, and producer Anirudh Varma is boldly redefining the panorama of Indian classical music. His ensemble, the Anirudh Varma Collective (AVC), returns to the stage with ‘SABR’—a sonic expertise that seamlessly fuses the wealthy traditions of Indian classical music with the vibrancy of world genres like jazz, rock, and fusion.
At its core, ‘SABR’ is greater than a efficiency; it’s a musical philosophy—rooted in endurance, self-discipline, and deep respect for India’s classical heritage, but unapologetically modern in its execution. With a rotating roster of over 150 collaborators spanning India, america, and Canada, AVC is emblematic of a brand new era of artists unafraid to experiment whereas staying anchored in custom.
Talking about how ‘SABR’ navigates this complicated mix of custom and innovation, Varma emphasizes the primacy of the raga in his compositional strategy.
“For the reason that collective started,” he explains, “our precedence as a gaggle—and for me as a pianist and composer—has been to present the sanctity and the final feeling of the raga high precedence. In virtually all our compositions, we’re creating an association round the raga and the composition—not the opposite method round. So it’s not that the composition is being tailored to suit the association.”
Citing ragas like Yaman and Bhimpalasi, he continues, “They bring about with them a really particular temper and id. My first thought is: are we staying inside the framework and emotional color of the raga? Thankfully, I’ve discovered like-minded artists who share this imaginative and prescient—we’re creating a up to date model of classical music in a method that neither the raga, the composition, nor the taala is being compromised—hopefully solely enhanced.”
Based simply six years in the past by New Delhi-based Anirudh Varma, the Collective has already made a major mark on the unbiased music scene. With over 600 performances throughout India, the Maldives, Kuwait, and a nine-city U.S. tour in 2023, AVC is quickly constructing a worldwide presence. Their mission is evident: to dismantle the notion that Indian classical music is just for the initiated and as a substitute deliver its magnificence and complexity to broader, youthful audiences.
That broad attain is supported by a rigorously curated creative imaginative and prescient, even because the group collaborates with artists from world wide.
“There’s a selected sort of musician who finally ends up collaborating with us—or whom we attain out to,” says Varma. “There must be an instantaneous connection. Everybody who’s a part of the neighborhood brings an innate high quality that aligns with our ethos.”
Even visitor artists, he provides, “could also be fewer in quantity, however every of them brings a really particular and aligned imaginative and prescient.”
Recognised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Ministry of Tradition, the Collective’s revolutionary spirit was additional validated once they received Finest Indie Band of the 12 months on the 2023 Clef Music Awards for his or her single Naino Waaleya, a collaboration with Darshan Doshi and Kamran Zafar—each identified for his or her work with Coke Studio.
The upcoming efficiency at Mumbai’s Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) marks a milestone for the ensemble.
“With ‘SABR’, our purpose was to do two massive launch live shows—one in Delhi and one in Mumbai,” Varma shares. “The Delhi one had about 45 musicians taking part in, as a result of it’s our dwelling floor, and now we have a giant choir performing there.”
“For the Mumbai launch, now we have virtually everybody from the core crew featured on the album performing. And since Mumbai hasn’t heard us dwell as an ensemble in virtually three years, I couldn’t consider a greater place than the incredible NMACC.”
He provides, “What actually drew us to NMACC is the whole crew’s disciplined strategy to manufacturing. Their consideration to element is superb. They’ve been asking a number of questions concerning the album—the look, the manufacturing, every little thing. So I really feel like AVC [our collective] and NMACC are actually on the identical web page. We’re working collectively to make the manufacturing sound and look as large-scale, immersive, and detailed as potential for the viewers.”
Audiences can anticipate a stellar lineup on the present, with Anirudh Varma on piano and keyboards, Suyash Gabriel on drums, Shrikant Biswakarma on electrical guitar, Madhur Chaudhary on bass, Soumitra Thakur on sitar, Rohan Prasanna on sarod, and Saptak Sharma on tabla. Vocals can be led by Prateek Narsimha, Saptak Chatterjee, Aastha Mandle, Pavithra Chari, Basudhara Roy Munshi, and Suhavi Kalsi—every bringing their distinct voice and musical sensibility to AVC’s immersive soundscape.
‘SABR’ – Album Launch Live performance by the Anirudh Varma Collective will happen at The Studio Theatre, NMACC, Mumbai, on Could 10, 2025.
