This Famous Maestro’s Violin Played Unique Music Like a Flute

 

Have you also experienced a trigger that has taken you down memory lane or revived an old memory that you had forgotten?

Like passing by the bakery and remembering your mother’s chocolate cake? A whiff of fragrance that took you back to a happy day that had been forgotten?

Something similar happened to me recently when I heard a musical composition with a flute.

It reminded me of the time a violin sounded like a flute and I thought my ears were deceiving me when in fact they hadn’t.

It was a cultural musical event at New Delhi’s 5 star Ashok Hotel to raise funds for charity purposes way back in 1986.

EAWA – the External Affairs Wives Association organized it of which the then Foreign Secretary’s wife was the President and I was the elected General Secretary.

The performance of the evening was by Padma Shri Dr. L Subramaniam, the world famous violinist, who has taken Carnatic music to every corner of the world and has captivated audiences globally.

To put his achievements in perspective, he is responsible for establishing South Indian classical music at mainstream venues and has performed at the most prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Millennium Park, the Esplanade and Beijing’s National Center for Performing Arts.

People bought tickets to come and enjoy the musical recitals knowing that they were also contributing to charity. It was the perfect duet between an art form and service for the under privileged.

The music was very beautiful, melodious, unique and spiritual.

Suddenly I saw the Maestro turn his back to the audience while playing his violin and then I felt I was listening to the musical melody of a flute!

I was astonished but I kept silent and allowed my soul to flow with the divine waves of the experience.

I’m a devotee of Lord Krishna who is known to play his Flute to bless the universe with his love, charisma and enchantment.

So effective was the performance of the great musician that I the listener, actually believed I was being blessed by the Divine Powers of Lord Krishna!

Humans are not divine but artistic interpretation is.

That’s why they say any form of Art be it painting, singing, dancing or music transports a human being close to Divinity and God where the soul is purified of all evils and faults emerging as an original beautiful creative Self.

 

 

My paintings depict the essence of charismatic charm of Lord Krishna’s personality.

Different people find different meanings an images in my works of art but they are all charmed by the confluence of myriad of beautiful bright colors!

After the musical concert was over, we were all sitting in a group to talk to the famous artist. I casually mentioned to him that at one point I thought I was listening to a flute instead of a violin.

To my utter surprise, Dr Subramaniam suddenly became alert and said in a loud voice,

“Thank God there is somebody who recognized what I was doing!”

He was very happy about my observation and asked me more about it.

I admitted it was unimaginable, unbelievable and an out of this world experience.

He has this very special gift and is blessed by Devi Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning.

 

 

With all the attention directed to me, I felt like a celebrity myself for a few moments, transient and yet unforgettably divine!

No tribute to Dr L Subramaniam would be complete without sharing a piece of his music.

Enjoy listening to Violins for Peace Live at the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival, Bangalore Featuring: Dr. L. Subramaniam, Mark O’Connor, Loyko, Ambi Subramaniam, Kheriou, Benedicte Maurseth, and Catharina Chen.