The Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) begun by maestro L Subramaniam in memory of his father, violinist V Lakshminarayana Iyer, turns 35 this year. The ongoing five-city show concludes at Shri Sathya Sai Grama at Muddenahalli, near Chikkaballapura, 56 kms from Bengaluru, on January 25.
“I cherish my father’s endeavour to see the violin take centre stage rather than an accompanying instrument,” says L Subramaniam. “His dream of bringing the violin to global platforms was realised as LGMF grew year after year with the participation of international musicians.”
“For the first time, this edition of the festival includes a symphony orchestra, choir and ballet from different countries; it is a gratifying development,” he adds.
Once upon a dream
About a century ago, the violin was a foreign instrument in India and was adapted to be an accompaniment in Indian classical music compositions, says Subramaniam. “My father envisioned a solo role for the Indian violin much like its counterpart in Western classical music.”
V Lakshminarayana Iyer
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Special Arrangement
“In order to do that, he had to develop innovative bowing and fingering techniques suitable for solo performances. MS Subbulakshmi sang the prayer song at the first edition of LGMF in Chennai; from then, the festival has steadily grown with shows in 30 countries and more than 75 cities,” says Subramaniam, whose wife, playback singer Kavita Krishnamurthy, is the festival director.
Lakshminarayana came from a humble background where he struggled to support the family, yet he ensured his children had a musical upbringing. He worked in Sri Lanka as a visiting professor at Jaffna College in the 1930s, since he was struggling in India as a musician. “We returned to India in 1958, during the riots. My father restarted his life after losing everything he had earned. He resolved to make the violin a solo instrument during this period.”
“Subsequently, he tutored many students who went on to become celebrities, including musicians such as Ilaiyaraja,” he recalls.
Subramaniam says he began writing symphony orchestras by chance. Classical music conductor, Zubin Mehta, asked him to write a full symphonic piece and be the soloist for the New York Philharmonic for the India festival in the United States. “That was in 1985, the composition was Fantasy on Vedic Chants, and since then I have created nearly 40 compositions for the orchestra and played on five continents.”
The musical legacy of the family continues with Subramaniam’s 14-year-old grandchild Mahati being the latest addition.
The Astana Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra from Kazakhstan with conductor Abzal Mukhitdin
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Subramaniam has created more than 300 symphonic performances, published by Schott Music, including the Navagraha Symphony premiering at the LGMF. “It is a special composition written for the Navagrahas based on nine ancient Sanskrit shlokas. It is a complex 50-minute piece and one of the longest compositions made for a full orchestra. This festival will see Kavita, my children Bindu and Ambi, and my grand-daughter Mahati perform this piece.”
This edition of the festival will see the Astana Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra from Kazakhstan, which has performed more than a 1,000 concerts in 25 years, led by conductor and composer Abzal Mukhitdin. The Shantipriya Dance Ballet by the Gakku Ensemble will take up a composition performed in 1987 in India.
The Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival will take place on January 25 at Shri Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli, from 6pm. Entry free, log in to lgmf.org for details
