Let the music play

The Paganini of Indian classical music’, ‘the God of the Indian violin’ and ‘the pride of India’ – these are some of the phrases used for violin maestro Dr L Subramaniam, the man who combined Indian classical music with western influences to coin the term ‘global fusion’.
Delhi will soon host a TOI Crest Experiences musical evening where the acclaimed violinist, composer and conductor will perform for the Times Of India Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival.He will be accompanied by Kavita Krishnamurthy, and Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam. The Indian artistes will perform in orchestral fusion with Grammy award-winning saxophonist Emie Watts and leading blues harmonica player Corky Seigel.
On his upcoming visit to Delhi, Dr Subramaniam says, “Performing in Delhi is always wonderful. The cultural ambience, the cosmopolitan crowd, the sophisticated audience, everything contributes towards making the evening special.”
The last time Dr Subramaniam was in Delhi, he performed at India Gate, as part of the concert to commemorate the first anniversary of 26/11. “The last time I was here, we performed at India Gate in memory of all the sad events that happened last year. It was not only about the terror attacks in Mumbai, but other tragedies as well. It was a tribute to those people who laid down their lives to protect us and the country. And it did evoke painful memories,” he says.
But this time, it’s a happier occasion. Despite performing with so many western artistes, his compositions always have an Indianness about them. “It’s because my roots are Indian; I studied Indian music and used to practice with my father, who was a very well-known violinist himself. In fact, he was instrumental in bringing the violin to the global stage. It was my father’s dream to promote the Indian violin as a solo instrument on the international scene. Earlier, it was considered only an accompanying instrument. So he brought in a lot of new techniques and approach, and I’m trying to continue the work he started,” says Dr Subramaniam.
Among the most well-known violinists in the world, he has also been honoured with the Padmashree and Padmabhushan. He has composed music for films like Salaam Bombay, Mississippi Masala, Little Buddha and Cotton Mary.
The TOI Crest Experiences concert will take place at the NCUI auditorium, August Kranti Marg, on January 13, Wednesday, 7 pm onwards. Complimentary passes are available at: Times House, 7 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, ITO; Vatika Triangle, Sushant Lok, Gurgaon; FC 6, Sec 16A, Film City, Noida.