It has often been said that music knows no boundaries. The Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) proves this fact. Founded by Dr. L. Subramaniam and Viji Subramaniam in 1992, it has hosted some of the biggest names, including Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Bismillah Khan, Gangubai Hangal, Pandit Jasraj, George Duke, Stanley Clarke and Al-Jarreau over the years. This time, the 25th edition of the festival has been dedicated to Menuhin, widely considered to be one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, to commemorate his birth centenary. Music aficionados are in for a treat as Russian violinist Vadim Repin, pianist Svetlana Smolina and Norwegian cellist Audun Sandvik will perform at the event in the city on Friday.
In addition to its presence in Bengaluru, Mumbai, San Diego, Chicago and New York, this year the festival will also be held in the U.K. and Germany for the first time. Music enthusiasts have another reason to enjoy the festival: it’s free for all.
Dr. Subramaniam says, “The festival is dedicated to my late father, V. Lakshminarayana. It was his vision that the Indian violin, which was earlier perceived as an accompaniment, should be known as a solo instrument across the world. He created new techniques and made artistes aware about them. I’ve strived to take his vision forward by promoting Indian arts among a global audience and exposing ourselves to different forms of world music. When we started off over two decades ago, we never imagined that one day, we would be celebrating its silver jubilee, and that legendary names from the world of music would be associated with it.”
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The violinist, who shared a close bond with Menuhin, will perform a piece that the duo had played at the United Nations in New York to commemorate India’s 40th year of Independence. “It will be my tribute to Yehudi. I will also play something that I had recently written for an event held in Belgium to celebrate the diversity of European countries.”
The festival put together by the Subramaniam family also features the violinist's wife, playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam, and children, Bindu and Ambi Subramaniam. Krishnamurti says her main effort is to entertain the audience by presenting something novel to them. “Whenever I sing, I always think how can I present my songs differently as the event encompasses all kinds of genres including Indian classical, western classical, jazz and symphony orchestra. We are passionate about it as it helps us evolve as artistes. At the end of the evening, every year, all the artistes perform together, proving that music truly breaks all barriers.”
Bindu and Ambi Subramaniam, who have their own band SubraMania and are known for fusing jazz, pop-rock and Indian music, hope to extend their reach to a different audience. “We want to cater to youngsters and will perform some of our own compositions. We will also collaborate with other artistes,” says Bindu.
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Sandvik, a solo cellist with the Norwegian RadiOrchestra and a teacher at the Norwegian Academy of Music, is excited about his first performance in India. He intends to challenge viewers by playing a piece of music that was composed 20 years ago by German composer Gunnar Bucht. He says, “Menuhin was one of the great legends of western classical music. He has inspired so many musicians, and all us have aspired to be like him. I have been hugely influenced by him, so it’s an honour for me to perform at the event.”
Dr. Subramaniam admits that the 25-year-long journey has been fruitful, as the event has helped him promote Indian classical music among youngsters who usually perceive it as a niche genre. “We have managed to cater to all kinds of audiences. They not only get a chance to listen to different styles and genres, but also leading artistes from different countries. We have introduced them to instruments that aren’t too famous here, like the cello, the pan flute from Norway and the special violin from China, and brought international artistes from various parts of the world on one platform.”
The Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival will be held at Sri Shanmukhananda Hall, from 7 p.m. onwards today. Free passes are available at the venue.