The Times of India Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival held in Chennai

Chennaiites took a musical trip at The Times of India Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival.
When violin maestro L Subraman iam and his team take stage for a fusion concert, the audience are in for a musical ride. And those who had assembled at The Times of India Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival on Monday evening were in for one as well. Even as the musicians collaborated on stage and showcased their various skills, the audiophiles in the audience were left spellbound and in awe.While Miya Masokha introduced Chennaiites to some new sounds on her koto, Solo Cissokho got the crowd clapping due to his musical tryst with the kora. Oud player Dhafer Youssuf explored some really high-pitched note. Kavita Krishnamurthi, on her part, treated the audience with some scintillating renditions and the accompanying artists’ foot-tapping stuff was much appreciated.
When the violinist, who was assisted by Ambi Subramaniam, announced that it was their last number, the audience asked for more. So, for one last time, the concert saw all the musicians gather on stage for an enthralling jugalbandi that received a deafening ovation. Interestingly, this piece, still to be titled, hasn’t been performed anywhere else and L Subramaniam — visibly pleased with the appreciation for it — stated that he’d get it recorded soon!
SEEN AND HEARD
• Theatre personality Y Gee Mahendra got a pleasant birthday surprise when his good friend L Subramaniam called him on stage. The theatre artist is also a percussionist artist and has performed with the violinist and his brothers during their college days.
• Players of the kora, the instrument played by Solo at the concert, are first taught how to make the instrument. After training for seven years in that, they start learning how to play it. This process also takes about seven years.