Born in India, famed conductor reflects on 40 years in the business
Zubin Mehta belongs among the most internationally acclaimed orchestra and operatic conductors of our time. He was born in 1936 in India, into a family of musicians. His father, Mehli Mehta, was a conductor and founder of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. Zubin Mehta was trained in Vienna. His meteoric career began in 1961 when he conducted in London as well as the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic orchestras. He then went on to become the music director of the Montreal Symphony, the Los Angeles and the New York Philharmonic and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino as well as general music director of the Bavarian State Opera. However, the musical institution with which he seems to have the strongest tie has always been the Israel Philharmonic, which he first came into professional contact with in 1961 and is its music director to this day.
Maestro Mehta is considered to be one of the world's foremost interpreters of the great symphonic literature, particularly from the Romantic repertoire. However, his enormous repertoire ranges from Bach to 20th century music and audiences worldwide have been thrilled by his sensitive yet powerful musical statements.
In a tight schedule during his brief visit to Bangkok, Maestro Mehta generously shared his insights on music as well as other topics in an interview with the Bangkok Post.
FYou have conducted most of the world's leading orchestras in the past 45 years, but you seem to have a particularly strong relationship with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Would you tell us about it?
It is a very long one, longer than any of my relations with other orchestras. We also share the same birth year. So actually we grow and mature together. Next year will be 40 years that I had an official position with the orchestra. I was appointed its music director in 1969. And in 1981 the orchestra made me its music director for life.
FAmong the many accolades bestowed upon you for your life's work, you were awarded the Lifetime Achievement Peace and Tolerance Award by the UN in 1999. So what do you think of it _ peace _ in today's global situation? And as a leading and influential artist, how do you see your role concerning the promotion of peace? How have you used your art to do this?
Well, I think there isn't a single area in the world today that doesn't yearn for peace. It is so much needed. Maybe with the exception of Australia, which we just came from, or at least that's how I perceive that island, there isn't any single area that is peaceful, particularly in this century. Not in the Middle Eastern countries, my own country, India. Even in Europe, after two world wars, they have been settling down for some tranquillity and economic booms. But at present, they are still very concerned and careful about external threats.
So as artists, wherever we play, the music certainly helps. Our music, our concerts, positively bring people together. And if you combine or multiply the concerts that we play every day all over the world, this has a great positive effect on people and the world. And not only our concerts, but by others as well, including the pop concerts. We bring together the joy, we generate the euphoria. And that's a very positive thing that artists can do to help promote peace. Can you imagine the world without these concerts?
FWhat do you desire most in each performance?
Well, first of all, we concentrate on the composer's intention. That's our first priority. Everything else follows that. When we are playing Tchaikovsky's symphony in this concert, we think of Tchaikovsky and his intentions; what he wants to say, what he wants to transmit.
FDo the environment and the audience in a particular place affect your artistic communication?
It could. First of all, if the hall is acoustically viable and suitable, we are in a good mood. Of course we like to play in an acoustically good hall. Otherwise we are not sounding the same. And that is frustrating sometimes, because we want our audience to hear us at our optimum.
That's why we have rehearsals before each concert, basically to test the acoustics of the hall. So we know how to play, to deliver the pieces in a particular environment, to see how we feel and how we can hear one another. We have to consider the individual's feel as well as the groups' feel because we all play together as a single whole.
See AN INTERVIEW WITH ZUBIN MEHTA Page O8
Prev
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Next
