Recently, violinist L Subramaniam was awarded Padma Vibhushan. Often called India라이브 바카라 Paganini, he says he is happy that the violin is being honoured. A recipient of Padma Shri in 1989 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001, the ‘Father of Fusion’, has released hundreds of recordings over the years and has a wide fan base not just in India but also across the globe.
While talking about L Subramaniam, American-British violinist and conductor Lord Yehudi Menuhin once said: “I find nothing more inspiring than the music making of my very great colleague Subramaniam. Each time I listen to him; I am carried away in wonderment.” A music critic wrote in The New York Times: “L Subramaniam is the best this listener has heard.”
One of the most formally inventive musicians of our time, Subramaniam is not bound by genres or geographies or the fear of the untried and uncharted. It is in this spirit that, as a young student, he set about creating a system that would integrate the melodic nature of the Indian raga system with the harmonic structure of Western classical music. What those early years of study—tried and tested over the decades—led to was the possibility of orchestral compositions for Indian ragas, evoking their mood within the rich sound of symphony orchestras.
'Raga Harmony', his new book from Pratilipi, unveils his revolutionary thirty-six-scale concept that will allow compositions by Indian composers based on Indian ragas to be performed by some of the most prestigious orchestras across the globe.
In this interview with Atul Mital, he talks about his musical journey.
You have been an artiste for more than 70 years. How has your musical journey been?
It has been a wonderful journey. When I started, I never imagined I would have so many surprises and would get into so many genres of music. I never thought several major orchestras would perform my compositions. I am happy that I have completed over 250 performances of my orchestral compositions with major orchestras, most of which have been performances where the entire evening has been dedicated to my compositions.
I am happy to say my first orchestral piece which I premiered was in 1983 and since then I have been able to compose many orchestral pieces. Most of my compositions are published by Schott Publishing—one of the most important and oldest publishing houses, which has been publishing from the Beethoven times. On the educational side, I am happy I have been able to publish some books to throw light on our South Indian classical music. All my orchestral pieces, including the Fantasy on Vedic Chants, written for the New York Philharmonic, have been written on the concept of Raga Harmony where I have created rich harmonical structures for the orchestras using only Indian ragas. In my next project, I will be publishing over 100 of my fusion compositions, which include Conversations, Don't Leave Me etc. Some of the other books I have written are Euphony, Introduction to Indian Classical Music, Mastering Varnams and violin and piano books, which have been published by Trinity.
You have collaborated with some of the big names in the industry like Grappelli, Hancock and Menuhin. Tell us about these collaborations.
Some of the musicians you have mentioned are, unfortunately, no more. I have collaborated with the next generation of musicians like Vadim Repin (violin), Jean-Luc Ponty (violin), Svetlana Smolina (pianist), Hubert Laws (flute) and Stanley Clarke (bass).
I have also collaborated with many Indian stalwarts like Pt. Jasraj, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Alla Rakha, Pt. VG Jog, Rais Khan, Sultan Khan and others. Unfortunately, many of them are no more. My recent collaborations have been with Illaiyaraja, AR Rahman and many other Bollywood artists, including my wife, Kavita. I have also collaborated with major orchestras in recent times and composed several compositions, including the Bharat Symphony, which was specifically written for Kavita's voice and performed worldwide.
Which are your favourite ragas?
I have many favorite ragas which include Mohanam, Kirvani, Kambodhi, Todi, in addition to some of my own ragas like Sreepriya, Chandrapriya, Saraswatipriya, etc.
You are the father of Fusion. What was your reaction to the Shakti band winning Grammy last year?
I am extremely happy because I have known both John (McLaughlin) and Zakir (Hussain) for close to five decades. I am also very happy that Shankar Mahadevan, Ganesh and Selva were a part of this band. I have known Shakti from the time it was started by John, my younger brother Shankar and Vinayakram. I think, my uncle, Ramanad V Raghavan, also played for Shakti earlier. Later, with John and Zakir라이브 바카라 force, they have gone through variations and they maintained their quality, creativity and innovations throughout. Both of them deserve many more awards.
How is your organisation—Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa)—helping young musicians?
SaPa was founded in 2007 with the idea of creating the next generation of musicians. We have many students who have grown up with us, and have been with us for over a decade. They are doing very well and performing at a very high level.
Through the ‘SaPa in Schools’ programme, we work with 40,000 children in schools, making music a meaningful part of school education. Children learn to sing in 15 languages and also learn music from around the world. They also learn how music connects to subjects like mathematics. Last year, we started SaPa in Schools Dance. My daughter Bindu and my son Ambi run SaPa.
To become a true musician it takes dedication, hard work and passion. One cannot assume to become a great musician overnight and the first stage is to understand and get solid base and foundation, whether it is instrumental or vocal. Based on the foundation, it is good to learn the compositions and the technique of improvisation and many hours of practice and listening will take us in the right path. My father used to say: “If you have solid technique, you can play whatever you want to play. Otherwise, you will play only what you can play.”
Are you disappointed with the standard of music education in India?
It could be better because to become a performer in Indian Classical music, one has to listen a lot to understand the micro tones and the aesthetics and emotions of the raga. It is not possible just to go to university and read many books about a raga and assume that they will play the raga beautifully.
How can standard be raised and how will that happen?
Our tradition of music has been passed on through the oral system (gurukul system) of music which has been the only successful process in the past. It is not possible to understand a raga by reading textbooks. University education gives a structured theoretical learning of music which is important for music education. Ultimately, it is important to create a performing musician so there has to be a bridge between the gurukul system and university education.
In order to bridge the gap between the gurukul system and university education, Kavita and I started the Lakshminarayana Global Centre of Excellence (LGCE), where we emphasise practical training, listening and performance in addition to theoretical education, which gives them a broader outlook and covers not only Indian music but also global music which can help them create a global platform for their music. For this, we have been collaborating with universities like the Karnataka State Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music University, Jain University and Vishwakarma University in Pune, offering BA, MPA, PhD and certificate courses in music. It is also very important to train the teachers with a methodology for coaching the students.
Tell us about the tie-up between LGCE and Mysore University.
The LGCE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Karnataka Rajya Dr Gangubai Hangal Music and Dance Performing Arts University in July 2023. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the field of music performance and education, enabling the LGCE to offer Certificate, Diploma, B.A. Honours, MPA and Ph.D courses in music.
What was the Covid lockdown like for you?
It was a very scary period and we lost some of our great friends. Initially, it was a big doom to society but as human beings trying to find alternative ways, I was able to create some of the most memorable international projects where I had the support of some of the great artists like Pt. Jasraj, Yesudas, Pt. Birju Maharaj, John Mclaughlin, Hema Malini, Juhi Chawla, SP Bala Subrahmanyam, Sonu Nigam, Usha Uthup, symphony orchestras and many others. During this period, I was able to record over 100 video projects and composed several major orchestral compositions. So, I was able to cross the bridge thanks to my music which kept me going.
