Legendary conductor Zubin Mehta leads Israel Philharmonic in S'pore in November

Zubin Mehta, internationally acclaimed maestro been musical director of many major orchestras - Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic. It is nearly a dec
Zubin Mehta, internationally acclaimed maestro been musical director of many major orchestras - Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic. It is nearly a decade since conductor Zubin Mehta has been to Singapore and he is looking forward to leading his Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in concert here on Nov 11. -- PHOTO: ESPLANADE

It is nearly a decade since conductor Zubin Mehta has been to Singapore and he is looking forward to leading his Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in concert here on Nov 11.

"We're very grateful to be invited. I used to visit Singapore very often," says the 78-year-old in a phone interview from his home in Los Angeles. His first concert here was in the 1980s with the New York Philharmonic, which he led until 1991. He last conducted here in 2005, leading Italy's Maggio Musicale Fiorentino at the Esplanade Concert Hall.

Mumbai-born Mehta began his career conducting highly regarded ensembles such as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for over 45 years, leading it to international renown. He arrived as a replacement conductor for a concert series held during the Six Days War with Arab forces in 1967 - the original conductor left before the fighting started.

The concert on Nov 11 will be held at Marina Bay Sands' MasterCard Theatres and the programme includes Vivaldi's Concerto in B minor for Four Violins, Mozart's Symphony No. 36 (Linz) and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. Singapore is the fourth stop on a five-country tour of Asia, beginning with Bangkok in Thailand on Oct 20, followed by South Korea, Japan, Singapore and concluding in China on Nov 16.

Concert tickets at $90, $150, $250, $350 and $450 are available from www.marinabaysands.com

akshitan@sph.com.sg

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.