A global stage for music

Kavita Krishnamurthy

It was in 1992 that the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) was started in honour of V Lakshminarayana, one of the doyens of Indian classical music, after he passed away on December 4 two years earlier. Now, 30 years later, virtuoso violinist Dr L Subramaniam - Lakshminarayana's son, who's one of the people who conceived of the event - and his wife, singer Kavita Krishnamurthy, give us the lowdown on what to expect at this weekend's edition, which features international stalwarts such as guitarist John McLaughlin and past performances by late violinist Lord Yehudi Menuhin. Edited excerpts from an interview with the duo.

John McLaughlin

What were the main reasons behind starting LGMF 30 years ago?
Subramaniam: I almost stopped playing during the time my father died, when Viji [Subramaniam, his niece] said that he was responsible for bringing Carnatic music and the Indian violin to the global stage. That was his dream and he worked all his life to develop techniques to make it globally acceptable. So, Viji said that if I suddenly stopped playing after he passed away, it would be the opposite of what he would have liked me to do. Why don't we thus start a festival in his memory?

Dr L Subramaniam

What are the main things you keep in mind while curating the line-up?
Krishnamurthy: We always try to keep a diverse set of musicians, and it's always collaborative. It's not that they perform only their own music. They also perform with Dr L Subramaniam and the other artistes, and the grand finale has different cultures coming on stage together. The broad feeling of this festival is to say that music goes beyond borders.

What do you hope are the key takeaways for the audience?
Subramaniam: There are different kinds of audiences whose favourite artistes might differ. But in this festival, if you are a lover of orchestral music, you will really enjoy the Jupiter Symphony [by The European Recording Orchestra]. If you appreciate western classical music, people like Yehudi Menuhin and Ivry Gitlis will give you something unique. And for jazz followers, we have John McLaughlin, who I will be collaborating with for the first time.

On: January 16 and 17, 7 pm
Log on to: bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 500