Lalgudi Krishnan & Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi - 07/11/25, 1:10pm, O'Riada Hall, UCC

1 Sep 2025

Happening On 07/11/2025

A concert of South Indian Karnatak music. Please note this week's concert takes place in the O'Riada Hall at the Department of Music, Sundayswell Road.

Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi

Lalgudi Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi belong to the fifth generation in the sishya parampara of the saint composer Sadhguru Tyagaraja. They were groomed in music under their gurus - their grandfather Sri Lalgudi Gopala Iyer and father legendary violinist-composer Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman. The duo has imbibed the essence of the Lalgudi bani and enhanced it significantly by their own virtuosity and creativity.

Lalgudi Krishnan’s debut in 1973 was graced by the presence of both his gurus. His music is noted for its sensitive tonality, spontaneity, tasteful exploration of vivadi ragas, innovative kalpana svaras replete with melody, intricate rhythmic patterning and innovative korvais, which have been acclaimed by veteran masters and contemporary musicians.

Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi first went on stage in 1979. Gifted with a fine sense of aesthetics, Vijayalakshmi’s music is replete with raga bhava and saukhyam. Vijayalakshmi’s raga essays instantly capture the essence and soul of the raga, with a freshness of perspective in every exposition. Pandit Ravi Shankar himself once observed, ‘You have your father’s fingers!’

Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi are best known for their scintillating violin duet concerts. Their duets are marked by pristine classicism and musical dignity, exquisite melody and intricate rhythm, deep intellect, refreshing creativity, instrumental virtuosity, wide repertoire, interesting and stimulating pallavis, engaging impromptu raga and swara repartees. Though they are both torch bearers of the Lalgudi bani, their styles are in fact distinct and contrasting in a way that complements each other and enhances the beauty and concert experience. They also perform solos, where audiences get to enjoy their respective individual styles. True to their bani, they use their commendable violin virtuosity to project artha bhava and raga bhava rather than to showcase instrumental skill for its own sake.

Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi have both been honoured with many awards over the years. Notable among them are Sangeetha Choodamani from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Kalaimamani from the Tamil Nadu State Govt, Indira Sivasailam Endowment Medal from the Indira Sivasailam Foundation and The Music Academy, National Eminence award from Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha, Mumbai, Sangeetha Rathnakara, Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, Lifetime Achievement Award, Indian Fine Arts Academy, San Diego. They were both jointly honoured with the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi award for 2022 by The Music Academy, Chennai. Besides, Krishnan is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award. Recent awards include Sangeetha Kala Prapoorna from Sri Anagha Datta Society, Calgary, Canada and SVN Rao Global Award for Music from Sree Ramaseva Mandali, Bengaluru.

Towards the cause of propagation of their musical lineage and bani, Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi have been teaching many young and aspiring violinists with dedication and commitment. They have also been sharing their knowledge and experience through workshops and lecture demonstrations. In April 2024, the Lalgudi siblings launched the Lalgudi Music Academy (LAMA) in the USA – another important initiative towards preserving the Lalgudi Bani and legacy, and passing it on to posterity.