“L. Subramaniam is the best this listener has heard…” – THE NEW YORK TIMES

“I find nothing more inspiring than the music-making of my very great colleague Subramaniam. Each time I listen to him, I am carried away in wonderment,” said Lord Yehudi Menuhin.

India’s violin icon Dr L. Subramaniam, “The Paganini of Indian Classical music,” is the serenity of an Indian musician combined with the magnetism of a western star. Constantly propelled from Singapore to Paris, from Delhi to Los Angeles, he has conquered every audience with the elegance and virtuosity of his style. His career as a childhood prodigy brought him into contact with the greatest musicians, and he soon imposed himself as a master of the violin. At 25, he was honoured with the title Violin Chakravarti. No other musician can boast of such diverse repertoire and collaborations or such mind-boggling techniques. Dr Subramaniam has produced, performed, collaborated and conducted hundreds of recordings.

Dr L. Subramaniam is the only musician who has performed/recorded Carnatic Classical Music, Western Classical Music, both Orchestral and non-Orchestral, and composed for and conducted major Orchestras, scored for films and ballets, and collaborated with a wide range of some of the most excellent musicians from different genres of music, including jazz, occidental, jugalbandi with North Indian musicians, world music and global fusion. He has established himself as a force that is strongly Indian but universal in nature and approach.

His insatiable musical curiosity made him master different techniques of various genres and explore new avenues (he was a musical advisor to Peter Brook about the sound concepts for his “Mahabharata”). He has composed music for a select few films, including Salaam Bombay, Mississippi Masala, Gaur Hari Dastaan, Ee Sneha Theerathu, Tananam, Jayate and was the featured soloist for Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha and Cotton Mary of Merchant–Ivory Productions. This total receptivity towards the world, this polymorphous talent, this technical mastery, however, finds its truest experience in the service of Carnatic music, the tradition he has inherited from his father and guru, Professor V. Lakshminarayana.Dr Subramaniam’s parents, Prof V. Lakshminaryana and V. Seethalakshmi were the driving force behind him and the reason he chose a life in music.

Passionate about music, Subramaniam was also dedicated to science. He passed his M.B.B.S at Madras Medical College and registered as a General Practitioner. Subsequently, he did his master’s degree in Western Classical Music in California and received a PhD. for his thesis on Raga Harmony from Jain University, Bangalore.

Since 1973, Dr Subramaniam has made historic collaborations and recordings with people like George Harrison of the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Yehudi Menuhin, Stephane Grappelli, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Steven Seagal, Ruggiero Ricci, Arve Tellefsen, Herbie Hancock, Ivry Gitlis, Anne Sophie Mutter, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pt. Jasraj, Ilaiyaraaja, A.R. Rahman, amongst others.

Today, he is the founder/director of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival, the greatest global music festival in India, in which this spirit of encounter, which he has always enjoyed, is strongly expressed. The Festival has brought together some of the greatest artists from around the globe on one stage. It is held annually, primarily in India, but has also been held in different parts of the world. He is also the founder/director of the Lakshminarayana Global Centre of Excellence that offers undergraduate degrees in music.

He is not only the most outstanding Indian Classical Violinist. Still, he is also an exceptional composer who has established himself as the foremost Indian composer in orchestral composition. In 1983, he wrote a cross-over orchestral work titled Double Concerto for Violin and Flute combining western scales and micro-intervals. Spring Rhapsody is a homage to Bach and Baroque music. Over the years, he has written and created works for the world’s greatest orchestras – New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta (Fantasy on Vedic Chants), Swiss Romande Orchestra (Turbulence), Kirov Ballet (Shanti Priya), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (Concerto for Two Violins) and Berlin Opera (Global Symphony), the live concert was broadcast simultaneously over 28 nations for millions of people. Some of his other orchestral works are Astral Symphony, Freedom Symphony, and Bharat Symphony. His compositions have also been used in various stage presentations by leading ballet companies, including the Cleveland San Jose Ballet Company and the Alvin Ailey Company.

To increase their understanding of the concepts of South Indian Classical Music, he has released a four-CD set called An Anthology of South Indian Music and written by an authoritative book, Classical Music of India, which was co-authored with his late wife, Viji Subramaniam.

He received several awards and honours, including the coveted Padma Bhushan in 2001 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for “The Most Creative Artist” from the President of India. In recognition of his contribution to the World of Music, he has been conferred with Honorary Doctorates (D.Lit) by Bangalore University, University of Madras, Sheffield University, Rabindra Bharathi University, ITM University and National Institute for Education and Research.

His album titled ‘Global Fusion’ was a critically acclaimed milestone and features artists from five continents, including one of the most popular and successful singers in the film industry, Kavita Krishnamurti (whom Dr L Subramaniam married in November 1999), and his daughter Bindu Subramaniam.

This living legend’s concerts are marvellous landmarks inspiring the audience. The album Conversations and his orchestral composition Fantasy on Vedic Chants have become milestones and serve as a reference and guide for any composer exploring the fusion concept. One can hardly believe such technique and emotive playing can exist.