L. Subramaniam


Dr. Subramaniam Lakshminarayana is an Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music.

Early years

Subramaniam was born in Madras, Madras Presidency, British India, to V. Lakshminarayana Iyer and Seethalakshmi, both accomplished musicians.
He lived in Jaffna during his younger years, taking up music studies before the age of five. He began training in violin under the tutelage of his father, Professor V. Lakshminarayana. "Mani", as he is fondly known by fellow musicians and his family, gave his first public performance at the age of six.
His uncles include Ramnad Raghavan and Ramnad Krishnan. His brothers are also acclaimed musicians, and include the violinist-composers L. Shankar, and the late L. Vaidyanathan. He has released recordings with both.
Subramaniam developed a passion for music as well as science from a young age, studying Medicine and acquiring his M.B.B.S. at Madras Medical College. He registered as a General Practitioner, before deciding to pursue music full-time. He has a master's degree in Western classical music, which he acquired at the California Institute of the Arts.

Performing career

Since 1973, Subramaniam has amassed over 200 recordings to his credit, releasing several solo albums, recording collaborations with musicians Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli, Ruggiero Ricci and Jean-Pierre Rampal, further to making albums and performing with Ruggiero Ricci, Herbie Hancock, Joe Sample, Jean-Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke John Handy, George Harrison and several others.
He has accompanied highly regarded vocalists in Carnatic music on stage including Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, K. V. Narayanaswamy, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M. Balamuralikrishna, M. D. Ramanathan, and Alathur Srinivasa Iyer. He has also performed many concerts with the venerable Palghat Mani Iyer on the Mridangam, in addition to collaborating with musicians of North Indian Hindustani music and artists of other music systems. He was among the early South Indian classical musician to perform a jugalbandhi with a Hindustani musician when he played with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in the late '70s.
Subramaniam has written works for orchestras, ballets and Hollywood film scores, and written books on music – such as Euphony – in addition to composing symphonies and Carnatic pieces.
In 1983, he composed a Double Concerto for violin and flute which combined western scales with micro intervals. In 1985, he composed the immensely popular Fantasy on Vedic Chants which was premiered with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta and later performed with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Djemal Dalgat. Subramaniam's first symphonic piece, Spring – Rhapsody, composed in 1986, was a homage to Bach and Baroque music. He then composed Turbulence which was performed with The Swiss Romande Orchestra, "The Concert of Two Violins" performed with the Oslo Philharmonic, and Global Symphony that the Berlin State Opera performed. He has also performed a concert tour of China, with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in Beijing. Till date, he has composed ten symphonies and most of his orchestral works have been published by Schott Music.
His compositions have been used in stage presentations of leading dance companies such as the San Jose Ballet company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Subramaniam composed the piece "Shanti Priya" for the Mariinsky Ballet in 1988.
Image:L. Subramaniam in Chennai.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Subramaniam performing at a concert in 2003
The release of his albums, including Global Fusion in 1999 have brought Subramaniam widespread critical acclaim, and popularity for his advanced playing. He founded and directs the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival, a festival based in India. In 2004, he completed a world tour with the festival, including concerts in the US, the Asian Pacific region including in Perth, Australia, at the Esplanade, Singapore, the Sri Dewan Penang Hall in Penang and the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Performing with Subramaniam at the festival in January 2005 were violin maestro Arve Tellefsen, the Oslo Camerata, jazz legends Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Al Jarreau, Earl Klugh and Ravi Coltrane.
In September 2007, Subramaniam premiered and played "The Freedom Symphony" with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Warrenton Chorale and Carnatic percussionists, which led to a strongly favourable ovation and an encore piece "Flight of the Humble Bee". Subramaniam is on the advisory board of composer A. R. Rahman's KM Music Conservatory in Kodambakkam, Chennai.
In 2011, he was invited to perform at the United Nations. On 24 October 2012, he performed as a Special Guest Artist with Stevie Wonder at the latter's message of peace concert at the UN. Yehudi Menuhin said of Subramaniam:
When asked about his musical accomplishments, Subramaniam has always said,

Film career

He composed the film scores for the films Salaam Bombay and Mississippi Masala directed by Mira Nair, in addition to being the featured violin soloist in Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha and Cotton Mary of Merchant-Ivory productions.

Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival

The Lakshminarayana World Music Festival concert was first initiated by his brother, L. Shankar in 1991 in memory of their father V. Lakshminarayana, who died in 1990. The BBC film ‘Bombay and All That Jazz’ '''' was based on the tribute concert that took place in Bombay on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1992, which featured Don Cherry, L. Shankar, TH Vinayakram, Trilok Gurtu and many others.
Subsequently, on January 11, 1992, Vijayashree and Subramaniam launched the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival in Madras.
Artists have included the Subramaniam family, Al Jarreau, George Duke, Solo Cissokho, Miya Masaoka, Mark O'Connor, Loyko, Jean-Luc Ponty, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Larry Coryell, Arve Tellefsen, Pandit Jasraj, Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna and Corky Siegel.
The festival has centred around special concepts such as Violins for Peace, Visions of India and Sounds of India.
Honour Lokmat Sur Jyotsna National Music legends Award 2024.

Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts

In 2007, the Subramaniam Foundation, a charity run by Subramaniam and his wife set up a music school called the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts, in Bangalore, India.

Personal life

Subramaniam was married to Viji Subramaniam, who died on 9 February 1995. Since November 1999 he has been married to the Indian playback singer Kavita Krishnamurthy. He has four children with Viji — Gingger Shankar, Bindu Subramaniam, Dr. Narayana Subramaniam and Ambi Subramaniam.
He continues to perform pieces with his daughter singer/songwriter Bindu Subramaniam, violin duets with his son, Ambi Subramaniam,” and has further recorded and given several concerts with Krishnamurthy. Their collaborations have earned them the nickname Subramaniam Gharana. He also performs with his eldest son Dr. Narayana Subramaniam.

Awards and recognition

• Padma Vibhushan award by government of India

Orchestral Compositions

  • Astral Symphony
  • Beyond
  • Concerto for Two Violins
  • Double Concerto
  • Double Concerto for Violin, Flute, and Orchestra
  • Fantasy on Vedic Chants
  • Flight of the Humble Bee
  • Freedom Symphony
  • Global Symphony
  • Naada Priya
  • Shanti Priya
  • Spring Rhapsody
  • Turbulence
  • ''Violin Concerto No 1 for Violin and Orchestra''

    Fusion Compositions

  • 5 3/4
  • Ab Hum
  • Alone by the Ganges
  • Ambience
  • Apna Street
  • Baba Kisses Solasaal
  • Beyond Borders
  • Beyond the flames
  • Blessings
  • Blossom
  • Blue Lotus
  • Breeze
  • Bujish Na Ke
  • Chaipau Alone
  • Chaipau Helps Chillum Across the Tracks
  • Chaipau Sets Fire to Solasaal's Bed
  • Chaipau's Theme
  • Chameleon
  • Chick Melody
  • Chillum's Theme
  • Comfortable
  • Confluence
  • Conversations
  • Dancing Beauty
  • Dancing Dolls
  • Darling Why Don't You Come to Me
  • Don't Leave Me
  • Driving to Sunday Lunch
  • End Credit Music
  • End of the Tunnel
  • Entry of Solasaal
  • Escape From the Chiller Room
  • Escape From the Chiller Room
  • Fantasy Without Limits
  • Farewell to Manju
  • Feeling Lonely
  • Flight of the Humble Bee
  • Four Feet Away
  • French Resolution
  • Frenzy
  • Funeral Procession
  • Ganga
  • Garland
  • Gipsy Trail
  • Grasshopper
  • Guess What
  • Hare Krishna
  • Harmony Of The Hearts
  • I Can't Forget
  • Illusion
  • Indian Express
  • Infinite Journey
  • Inner Peace
  • Jai Hanuman!
  • Jay's Theme
  • Jay's Theme
  • Journey
  • Kali Dance
  • Kampala Uganda Meets Greenwood Mississippi
  • Lap-nils' Polska
  • Leaving Home: Farewell to Uganda
  • Let There Be
  • Let's Talk
  • Lost Love
  • Love is stronger than death
  • Love Theme
  • Lullaby
  • Main Titles
  • Mani Talks
  • Manju's Theme
  • Memories
  • Memories of Jaffna
  • Mina Chases Demetrius
  • Mina's Theme
  • Miss Melody
  • Moonlight
  • Motherland
  • Musical Tribute
  • Necklace Road
  • Ninth House
  • Offering of Love
  • Paganini Caprice
  • Prayer
  • Rainbow Serenade
  • Reunion
  • Roots
  • Satya Priya
  • Seventh Heaven
  • Shadow of Heaven
  • Shloka
  • Solasaal's Theme
  • Souls Of Dead Children Floating
  • Spanish Wave
  • Spiritual Dance
  • Street Children Sing a Ballad of Lost Promises
  • Super Instinct
  • Surrender
  • That Dream
  • The End of the Tunnel
  • The Pink Moment
  • The way you placed my bow
  • Time Is Right
  • Times Must Change
  • Towards the Island
  • Traditional Ugandan Bar Song
  • Transformation
  • Tribute to Bach
  • Tribute to Mani
  • Vision in White
  • Voices in Heaven
  • Walking in a Dream
  • Watch Your Step
  • What's Happening?
  • Whispering Moods
  • Winning the Hand
  • Winter In Austria
  • ''You And Me''

    Carnatic Compositions

  • Devapriya
  • Chandrapriya
  • Dasharagamalika Varnam
  • Dawn
  • Devipriya Tillana
  • Dwijavanti Tillana
  • Ennai katharulvai
  • Expressions of Impressions
  • Gananathane
  • Ganapathi charanam
  • Kuzhal oodum
  • Mahishasura mardini
  • Panchanadai Tillana
  • Panchanadai Varnam
  • Parameshwari parvati devi
  • Ramapriya
  • Sada manadil
  • Shantipriya
  • Two Minds
  • Vasantapriya
  • Wandering Saint
  • ''Weeping Soul''

    Music for films

See Filmography

Selected discography

  • Enchanting Melodies on the Violin
  • Garland
  • Live in Concert
  • Fantasy without Limits
  • Subramaniam
  • Rainbow
  • Indian Classical Music
  • Le violon de l'Inde du Sud
  • Ragam, Tanam, Pallavi / The Virtuoso Violin of South India: Subramaniam
  • Blossom
  • South Indian Strings
  • Spanish Wave
  • Indian Express
  • The Irresistible Dr L. Subramanium
  • Distant Visions
  • Magic Fingers
  • Mani & Co.
  • East Meets West
  • Electric Modes: Winter Sessions
  • An Anthology of South Indian Classical Music
  • Indian Classical Masters: Raga Hemavati
  • Kalyani
  • Expressions of Impressions
  • Indian Classical Masters: Three Ragas for Solo Violin
  • Sarasvati
  • Musical Heritage of South India
  • Beyond
  • Samarpanam
  • Masters of Raga
  • Pacific Rendezvous
  • Electric Modes Volumes 1 & 2
  • Matchless
  • Global Fusion
  • Free your Mind Larry Coryell
  • Asmita
  • Maestro's Choice
  • My Golden Years
  • Best of L. Subramaniam
  • The Violin Legends
  • Violin Maestros
  • ''Innovations''

    Collaborations with other artists

  • L. Subramaniam with Stu Goldberg and Larry Coryell: Solos-Duos-Trios
  • L. Subramaniam with John Handy and Ali Akbar Khan: Rainbow
  • L. Subramaniam with Stéphane Grappelli: Conversations
  • L. Subramaniam and Yehudi Menuhin: L. Subramaniam and Yehudi Menuhin in New York
  • L. Subramaniam and Ali Akbar Khan: Duet
  • L. Subramaniam with Yehudi Menuhin and Stéphane Grappelli: All the World's Violins
  • L. Subramaniam and Larry Coryell: From the Ashes
  • L. Subramaniam with various artists: Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival: Vol. I & II
  • L. Subramaniam and Ustad Rais Khan: Sangeet Sangam
  • L. Subramaniam with Karsten Vogel: ''Meetings''

    Live albums

  • L. Subramaniam en concert: Southern Indian Violin
  • India's Master Musicians
  • Live in Moscow / Time Must Be Changed
  • In Praise of Ganesh
  • L. Subramaniam en Concert
  • Kingdom of Peace: Live in Nepal
  • L. Subramaniam: Live in France
  • ''L. Subramaniam and Bismillah Khan: Live in Geneva''

    Filmography

Composer