Stephen Becharas . . . and The Staff Of
Zubin Mehta:
Israel's Mr. Music
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A VERY
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MICHAEL ELKIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
t was conduct becoming a
caring and legendary
conductor as well as an
Israeli booster.
In the midst of the Persian
Gulf War, conductor Zubin
Mehta charateristically
helped lead the way, offering
comfort to shell-shocked
Israelis as Tel Aviv took hits
from Saddam Hussein's
Scud missiles.
"I have always been a
friend of Israel," says the
conductor of the Israel
Philharmonic Orchestra.
For many music-lovers,
Mr. Mehta stands alone as a
symbol of international sup-
port for Israel's cultural
arts.
The Bombay-born conduc-
tor has been associated with
the IPO since 1961; he
became music director for
life in 1983. And his life has
been inextricably intert-
wined with the recent for-
tunes of the orchestra, whose
roots go back some 60 years,
to when it was known as the
Palestine Orchestra.
In his more than 30 years
at its helm, Mr. Mehta has
made the musical ensemble
into a symphonic star, or-
chestrating brilliant pro-
grams and ambitious tours.
The IPO has been in good
hands during the Mehta era;
but then, the conductor says
he has to hand it to Israelis
for putting so much of their
heart and soul into music.
"Music," says Zubin
Mehta, "has always been
important in the Jewish way
of life. The Jewish people
brought it with them when
they came from the ghettos
of Europe to other parts of
the world."
It was as much a part of
their baggage as the pain
and suffering they endured
as victims of prejudice and
bias, he says.
But in music, notes Mr.
Mehta, Jews found solace
and sustenance, the sounds
of fury and fighting finding a
soulful manifestation.
A citizen of the world —
Mr. Mehta's well-worn pass-
port is a symphony of stamps
— the conductor has found a
home-away-from home in
Israel, where music is a
mania among sabras and
I
Sincerely Wishes It's Many
Friends And Customers
Ron Asmar
Entertainment
855-9463
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Michael Elkin is the enter-
tainment editor of the Jewish
Exponent in Philadelphia
Zubin Mehta
new settlers who find peace
and harmony in IPO con-
certs.
"For a small country, we
have 36,000 subscribers —
possibly the largest concen-
t at i o n of music lovers
anywhere," says Zubin
Mehta with pride.
And almost nothing can
keep Israelis from their
music. "During the Yom
Kippur War, we did two con-
certs a day, and people came.
The auditorium was pack-
ed," he says.
Yet, with bombs bursting
in air, instruments were
muted, says Mr. Mehta, dur-
ing the Persian Gulf War in
1991. "That was one time
when the music stopped."
Today, the Judean hills
continue to be alive with the
sound of music under Mr.
Mehta — and beyond. In the
role of cultural ambassador,
the IPO has attracted SRO
audiences in countries
worldwide, with tours to
Japan, Argentina, Poland,
Hungary and the former
Soviet Union.
"We could never do such
tours without the aid of the
American Friends of the or-
chestra," says Mr. Mehta.
But excellence comes with
a price. Without government
subsidy, the IPO must rely
on contributions within and
outside the country as well
as ticket sales. "Every musi-
cian costs $50,000 a year,"
says Mr. Mehta, noting that
such a salary "is cheap com-
pared to American musi-
cians."
Of course, in a country