A.R. Rahman: The 'Mozart of Madras'

The career of A.R. Rahman invites superlatives.

The Indian composer and musician is one of the world's most prolific creators of movie scores (including the Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire"). He has been nicknamed "the Mozart of Madras." He has cracked Time's list of the world's most-influential people. He has sold more than 150 million albums.

But with Rahman's latest show, he's operating on a modest scale - relatively speaking. "This is probably the smallest band I've ever been with, but the most credible one," Rahman says of the singers, percussionists and other performers (including a violinist, a guitarist, a bassist and a dancer-choreographer) who are accompanying him through North America on "The Intimate Concert Tour."

Rahman and his band perform selections from his compositions of the 1990s and 2000s, including vocal numbers in Hindi, Tamil, French and English.

"I really enjoy performing live, and the band and I have worked hard to make it a special show," Rahman said by email.

Rahman is known for fusing elements of Eastern classical music - including the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions - with world, electronic and Western classical sounds. And his reach has extended beyond cinema: A sometime collaborator with Mick Jagger and other music icons (in the band SuperHeavy), Rahman has composed for musical theater ("Bombay Dreams," which ran on Broadway in 2004) and for the Olympics (the opening ceremony in London in 2012).

How does he stay sane while juggling so many assignments? Rahman said he meditates as much as he can and, during a tour like this one, tries to get enough sleep. He also trusts in the "good will" of his fans.