National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

One of the greatest south Indian classical violinists, L. Subramaniam was born in Sri Lanka to an extraordinary musical family, including his famed parents V. Lakshminarayana, who served as his son's guru, and V. Seethalakshmi. (Today, L. Subramaniam's brothers L. Vaidyanathan and L. Shankar are also well-known violinists; L. Shankar was one of the founding members of the fusion supergroup Shakti, along with guitarist John McLaughlin and percussionist Zakir Hussain.)

Subramaniam's musical lineage can be traced back to Baluswamy Dikshitar, who introduced the use of the violin to Indian music in the early 19th century. As a young man, however, Subramaniam also pursued his love of science and medicine; he completed a medical degree and registered as a general practitioner before becoming a full-time professional musician.

Because of his dazzling violin virtuosity and great skill as a composer who is fluent in Carnatic and European classical styles as well as jazz, Subramaniam has been in high demand for decades as a collaborator for artists from all over the world. He worked with Peter Brooks for his epic theatrical and film staging of the Hindu epic The Mahabharata, and also wrote the scores for two of director Mira Nair's films, Salaam Bombay and Mississippi Masala. Other colleagues include violinists Yehudi Menuhin and Stephane Grappelli, flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, pianist Herbie Hancock and vocalist Al Jarreau, among many others.

An author of books on Carnatic music theory, he has also received India's highest cultural awards, including the Padma Bhushan and Padma Sri prizes. He is currently married to a very popular filmi playback singer named Kavita Krishnamurti. Of his more than 150 albums, a few to seek out include Le Violon d'Inde du Sud (The South Indian Violin) and the four-CD set An Anthology of South Indian Classical Music, both recorded for Ocora, as well as his world-beat disc Global Fusion, recorded for Erato/Warner. —Anastasia Tsioulcas