CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Part of: Orchestral Masterworks
Performers
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Zubin Mehta, Music Director and Conductor
Gil Shaham, Violin
Program
WEBER Overture to Oberon
TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9, "Great"
Encores:
BACH Gavotte en Rondeau from Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006
DVOŘÁK Slavonic Dance in G minor, Op. 46, No. 8
Event Duration
The printed program will last approximately two and one-half hours, including one 20-minute intermission.At a Glance
Bios
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) is one of Israel's oldest and most influential
cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1936, the IPO has dedicated itself to
presenting the world's greatest music to audiences in Israel and around the world. Founded
by Polish violinist Bronisław Huberman, the IPO represents the fulfillment of his dream "to
unite the desire of the country for an orchestra with the desire of the Jewish musicians
for a country." Huberman spent countless hours persuading first-chair musicians of Eastern
European and German orchestras, who had lost their jobs as a result of Nazism, to immigrate
to Palestine. In doing so, he created an "orchestra of soloists" which, under the esteemed
leadership of Zubin Mehta, continues to absorb new immigrants and act as a dynamic, global
community for musicians from across the world.
Major soloists and conductors have always performed with the IPO. Its inaugural concert
was conducted by Arturo Toscanini, who believed that his participation was a means to
demonstrate his opposition to fascism. Among Israelis, the memory of IPO Laureate Conductor
Leonard Bernstein leading the orchestra in front of 5,000 soldiers on the Negev dunes in
1948 remains a historic moment. The orchestra has also enjoyed associations with such
renowned artists as Emanuel Ax, Daniel Barenboim, Yefim Bronfman, Yoel Levi, Yo-Yo Ma,
Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Itzhak Perlman, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Arthur Rubinstein, Gil
Shaham, Isaac Stern, and Pinchas Zukerman.
The IPO is Israel's premier cultural ambassador and travels extensively throughout the
world, particularly to countries where there is little or no Israeli representation. The
goodwill created by these tours--which have included historic visits to Japan, Argentina,
Poland, Hungary, Russia, China, and India--is of enormous value to the State of Israel. In
2005, the orchestra traveled to Berlin to commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations
between Israel and Germany; to London, Paris, and Geneva on a tour co-sponsored by the
Weizmann and Pasteur institutes; and to South America, where the orchestra visited eight
cities in 20 days.
Due to the efforts of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation, the American Friends
of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the generous support of donors worldwide, the
orchestra returned to its home at Tel Aviv's newly renamed Charles Bronfman Auditorium in
March 2013 after extensive renovations.
Zubin Mehta
Born in Mumbai, Zubin Mehta grew up in a musical environment. His father, Mehli Mehta,
founded the Bombay Symphony Orchestra and was music director of the American Youth Symphony
in Los Angeles. Zubin Mehta's initial field of study was medicine, but he abandoned it at
the age of 18 to attend the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. Seven years
later, he conducted both the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Berliner Philharmoniker. He
rapidly became one of the world's most sought after conductors, holding directorships with
the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (1961-1967), Los Angeles Philharmonic (1962-1978),
New York Philharmonic (1978-1991), and Bayerische Staatsoper (1998-2006). The Israel
Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) appointed Mr. Mehta music advisor in 1969, music director in
1977, and music director for life in 1981. Combining concerts, recordings, and tours, Mr.
Mehta has conducted thousands of performances on five continents with the IPO. Since 1985,
he has also acted as chief conductor of the music festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in
Italy, becoming honorary conductor for life in 2006.
Mr. Mehta has received countless awards and distinctions, including the Kennedy Center
Honors; the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony in India; the President's Medal of
Distinction from Israeli President Shimon Peres; the Praemium Imperiale from the Japanese
imperial family; honorary doctorates from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv
University, and Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel; a special recognition at the
ceremony of the Israel Prize; and a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is an honorary
citizen of both Florence and Tel Aviv, and an honorary member of the Vienna State Opera,
Bayerische Staatsoper, and Vienna's Musikverein. In 2006, his autobiography--Die
Partitur meines Leben: Erinnerungen (The Score of My Life: Memories)--was
published in Germany and Israel.
Zubin Mehta continues to support the discovery and promotion of musical talent all over
the world. Together with his brother Zarin, he is co-chairman of the Mehli Mehta Music
Foundation in Mumbai, where more than 200 children are educated in Western classical
music.
Gil Shaham
Gil Shaham is one of the foremost violinists of our time. His flawless technique, combined
with his inimitable warmth and generosity of spirit, has solidified his renown as an
American master. The Grammy Award winner, also named Musical America's
Instrumentalist of the Year (2012), is sought after around the world for concerto
appearances with leading orchestras and conductors, and regularly gives recitals and
performs with ensembles on the world's great concert stages and at the most prestigious
festivals.
Highlights of recent years include the acclaimed recording and performances of J. S.
Bach's complete sonatas and partitas for solo violin. In addition to championing these solo
works, he will join pianist and long-time duo partner Akira Eguchi in recitals throughout
North America, Europe, and Asia in the coming seasons.
Mr. Shaham regularly appears with such orchestras as the Berliner Philharmonikier, Boston
Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles
Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and San Francisco Symphony. He
also has held multi-year residencies with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, SWR
Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Shaham has more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs to his name, earning multiple
Grammy Awards, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d'Or,
and Gramophone Editor's Choice honors. Many of these recordings appear
on Canary Classics, the label he founded in 2004. His CDs include 1930s Violin
Concertos, Vol. 1; Sarasate: Virtuoso Violin Works; Nigunim: Hebrew
Melodies; The Butterfly Lovers Concerto for Violin / Tchaikovsky: Violin
Concerto; and many more. His second volume in the 1930s Violin Concertos
series--which includes Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 and Bartók's Violin Concerto No.
2--was nominated for a Grammy.
Mr. Shaham was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990, and received the coveted
Avery Fisher Prize in 2008. He plays the 1699 "Countessa, Princess de Polignac, Bardsley"
Stradivarius. He lives in New York City with his wife, violinist Adele Anthony, and their
three children.