Ace violinist L Subramaniam on performing with wife Kavita Krishnamurthy in London last month, and the impact she has on his craft
Apart from being a successful musician, Pandit L Subramaniam is also a proud husband, and father. On the sidelines of his recently concluded show in the city, the violinist-composer spoke to mid-day about performing with wife, singer Kavita Krishnamurthy, and how his kids are taking the family's musical legacy forward.
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Kavita Krishnamurthy
Your wife says you have inspired her as an artiste. How has she impacted your music?
Kavita inspired me to write orchestral symphonies, and include lyrics [to renditions, instead of instrumental notes]. Her voice is incredible. Her range, technique and flexibility have enabled me to write new compositions. The latest symphony that I wrote was the Bharat Symphony, which was appreciated. We performed it with the London Symphony Orchestra in London on the final day, in the UK-India Year of Culture, to commemorate the 70th year of India's independence.
How was the experience of performing the Bharat Symphony in the UK?
Earlier this year, I was invited to meet the Queen at the Buckingham Palace. That event marked the start of the festival. It concluded last month, with our performance. The Bharat Symphony portrays the Indian culture via four periods — the prehistoric Vedic period, the Mughal period, the British period, and the post-independence era. The audience's response to it was overwhelming. We received a standing ovation.
Pandit L Subramaniam
Your son Ambi recently performed with you. How do you evaluate his growth?
I'm happy with his work. He is continuing my father's legacy. After his studies [Bachelor in Mass Media], he decided to
learn the violin, and play it professionally. Ambi and my daughter, Bindu, [singer], have a band called SubraMania. It fuses traditional Indian music with elements of pop, rock and jazz.
Tell us about your other interests.
I am involved with the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts, where I teach music to about 15,000 students. I also enjoy organising the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF). I kicked it off as a tribute to my father [V Lakshminarayana]. It's currently in its 25th edition. Some of the world's greatest icons, including MS Subbulakshmi, Bismillah Khan and Pandit Jasraj, have performed at LGMF. It has been held in 55 countries so far.
Tell us about the projects you are working on.
We're working on Kavita's album that features an array of musicians. We have finished recording the songs and are working on the videos. We recently shot for Sonu Nigam and Hariharan's songs. It also features Shaan, Pandit Jasraj, Lucky Ali and Suresh Wadkar. There's another album, Symphonic Expression, in the pipeline. We recorded it with the London Symphony Orchestra.
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