009 - C1

L. Subramaniam is widely regarded as the finest violinist in the tradition of South Indian (Karnatic) music. He has played in locales as diverse at Singapore, Paris, Delhi and Los Angel in styles that range from contemporary to classical to jazz to global fusion - in addition to his own native Karnatic style. Subramaniam also possesses an MBBS degree from Madras Medical College and is registered as a medical practitioner. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Western Classical Music from UCLA. Today, he is the founder/director of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival, the biggest global music festival in India, in which this spirit of encounter, which he has always enjoyed, is strongly expressed. The Festival has brought some of the greatest artists from around the globe together on one stage. It is held annually, primarily in India, but has also been held in different parts of the world.

trivia: L. Subramaniam is the brother of 10-string double-violinist L. Shankar, who has performed and toured with popular artists Peter Gabriel, Frank Zappa, and Talking Heads.

Jiebing Chen has been hailed as one of the foremost erhu virtuosos in the world. Her world-renowned is based on her mastery of the classical Chinese repertory for the erhu and for her award-winning contemporary innovations using the two-stringed instrument. Chen was the first to bring the erhu into the symphonic concert hall, performing as a featured soloist. Her playing brought a new sound and excitement to classical music audiences. Perhaps most compelling are her achievements as a cross-cultural performer. Chen has virtually reinvented the erhu for the 21st century, performing in partnership with some of the most notable jazz and world music artists of our time. Her artistry has made her the most recorded erhu artist in the world with over 20 CD titles available internationally. In addition to her classical repertory Chen's work received a Grammy-nomination for Best World Music Album for her jazz improvisations with Bela Fleck and Vishwa Bhatt.

This piece is from L. Subramaniam's 1999 disc Global Fusion, a collection of duets with many of today's leading world performers.

www.indianviolin.com
www.jiebingchen.com