Shanti Priya is a concerto for violin and orchestra. This composition was written by Dr. L. Subramaniam as a commission for the Kirov Symphony Orchestra when they were touring India and was premiered by them in New Delhi in 1989. This composition was dedicated to Indira Gandhi. It has three movements.

The first movement Adagio Rubato starts with sustained strings followed by vibraphone, bell tree and harp leading to the exposition of the theme by the oboe. It is joined by the flute the second time. The soloist then brings in the theme with slight variations. During the developmental section there is a trade off between the woodwinds/strings and the soloist. The trade offs become shorter and shorter and eventually lead to the improvised cadenza by the solo violin. This is followed by a recapitulation which brings back the melody with in the brass section with support from the strings and the woodwinds, creating a climax leading to the final rhythmic motif which is repeated thrice in a traditional South Indian manner. The first movement is based on a Karnatic Raga Charukesi, which is one of the seventy-two parent scales in the South Indian tradition.

The second movement Adagio poco Rubato starts with strings and woodwinds leading to the slow emotional romantic theme played by the violins. The cadenza by the solo violin is followed by the recapitulation of the theme played by the strings and the soloist. This movement is based on a Karnatic Raga Kirvani, which is also one of the seventy-two parent scales and corresponds to the harmonic minor scale in the west.

The third movement Allegro starts with the motif which begins with eights bars of a 5/16 beat rhythm, followed by two bars of 5/8 and another four bars of 5/16. The soloist comes in after the introduction of the theme by the oboe and the clarinet. This leads to the developmental section where the theme is transposed and repeated in different keys simultaneously having musical phrasing of 4/16 against phrasing of 5/16 between the different sections of the orchestra. This is followed by the cadenza, after which the soloist reintroduces the theme. There is a rhythmic cyclic section of 10/16, leading to the finale in 5/16 with the full orchestral rhythmic and melodic climax. This is based on a pentatonic scale Mohanam, which is one of the derived Ragas in the Karnatic tradition. It corresponds to a major scale omitting the 4th and the 7th degrees.

This composition has been performed by major orchestras including the Kirov Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Djemal Dalgat and the Orchestra Nationale du Lille under the baton of Maestro Jean Claude Casedesus and has been adapted for ballet by the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet. It has been recorded by the Brandenburg Symphony under the baton of Maestro Micheal Helmrath.is not easy to categorize my Fantasy on Vedic Chants either Indian or Western classical. It is truly East-Western composition since I have drawn most compatible elements of both the Indian and Western traditions and blended them to find a new direction.