One of India’s top musicians will be serenading audiences with a fusion of his musical talents, improvising with inspiration from Bahrain and his environment, at his concert tonight.
Violinist, composer and conductor Dr Lakshminarayana Subramaniam will be taking the stage at the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam’s (BKS) Diamond Jubilee Hall, as the star performer on the final day of the BKS Indo-Bahrain Dance and Music Festival.
“In South Indian classical music, there is a lot of improvisation, which is how I sometimes start a concert, depending on the audience,” the 76-year-old Chennai-born multi-instrumentalist told the GDN during an interview yesterday.
“So while I don’t have a specific set list in mind for tomorrow, I usually seek inspiration from the audience or the environment. Long drives also tend to inspire me, and I am hoping to visit the long bridge (King Fahad Causeway) that connects Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
“When I am sitting in the car and observing different things is when the wind or the views trigger melodies and other ideas for my performances.”
Dr Subramaniam’s performance will close out the eight-day festival which has featured a bevy of musicians and dancers from India and Bahrain.
He will be joined on stage by mridangam player VV Ramana Murthy, ghatam artist N Radhakrishnan, Latha Ramachar playing the kanjeera and Ghantasala Satyasai on morsing.
“Each performance of classical Carnatic music ends up being unique because I don’t like to force myself perform mechanically – instead, I prefer to listen to my inner voice on stage,” he added.
“I’ll be playing a variety of creative forms including kriti, raga, varnam, ragam tanam pallavi and ragamalika, generally within the classical format, with quite a few of my own compositions.”
Central and unique to classical Indian music with no equivalent concept in Western classical music, the ‘raga’ forms the melodic framework for improvisation in a composition, with each ‘raga’ having the ability to evoke a specific emotion.
Stringing together this framework is the ‘ragamalika’, for example, which translates to a ‘garland of ragas’.
While the theory and gamut of South Indian musical tradition can be intimidating for a new listener, Dr Subramaniam suggests experiencing the concert with an open mind, without preconceived notions.
“If you close your eyes and listen to the music, you will start to feel something because each time we improvise with the same string of notes, we bring life to them, adding dimensions and different emotions each time.
“Each note has a certain power and ultimately, music is about frequencies that resonate with us.”
Born into a musical family, Dr Subramaniam studied under the tutelage of his father Professor V Lakshminarayana and gave his first public performance at the age of six.
He developed a passion for music as well as science from a young age, studying Medicine and acquiring his MBBS at Madras Medical College, even registering as a General Practitioner, before deciding to pursue music full-time.
In his career spanning more than half a century, he has written works for orchestras, ballets and film scores, as well as books on music – such as Euphony – in addition to composing symphonies and Carnatic pieces. In total, he has amassed more than 200 recordings to his credit.
He has performed live concerts at an array of venerable venues around the world and collaborated with top ensembles including the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, The Swiss Romande Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic and Berlin State Opera.
With a celebrated yet growing career under his belt, Dr Subramaniam and his wife Kavita Krishnamurti, a renowned Indian playback and classical singer in her own right, focus on fostering the next generation of musical talent through the Lakshminarayana Global Centre of Excellence.
“I want to further Indian classical musical education to develop great artists following the Gurukul system (an intensive residential education system, with roots in ancient India) and able to communicate what they are doing,” he explained.
“We have also been writing textbooks and creating listening material to fill a gap within this curriculum.
“These days, anyone can become a YouTube viral hit by doing something different, but to become a legend, you need passion, patience and persistence.”
Dr Subramaniam’s violin recital at the BKS premises in Segaya is open to all and attendees are encouraged to arrive early to secure their seat.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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