Zubin Mehta's 10 Best Recordings (Preview)--When You Can't Go Home Again

[@CrimsonFile-u6d]

Love Zubin Mehta, particularly the LA Philharmonic recordings. Seiji Ozawa is another tremendous conductor with a massive and excellent discography that never seems to be on anyone's list of "important" artists.

[@philippborghesi1060]

I attended the Turandot Premiere in Berlin in June with Mehta on the Podium. It was just one of the most amazing live experiences in my life. Now I can‘t stop listening to his studio recording.

[@Tungusqa]

I remember the first Mehta concert I heard live. It was in 2007 with the Second Symphony by Mahler and Anna Larsson at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, and later at Der Ring, in the recording sessions, for being a student, of the award-winning production. They were unforgettable days, which I will always remember, for the musical quality as well as for the visual. I just found out that next November 25th he returns again to the Palau de les Arts with Mahler's fifth !! 😍

[@Plantagenet1956]

Zubin Mehta, I have admired, ever since I came across him, when I was a kid. I'm 66 years old now! My goodness, time flies. I have liked his recordings, especially his Liszt symphonic poems, and his Strauss Ein Elpensinfonie.

[@richardwilliams473]

I remember Zubin Mehta in his formative years with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. I went to one of his concerts with that ensemble and was struck at how stately his posture was at the podium. He looked very much in control

[@JG_1998]

I think this is why it's important to compose your own music (if you can). A lot of other non-german ethnic groups found themselves in the same situation as Mehta when they first entered the classical music scene. The english, Scandinavians, and eastern europeans had to figure out how to create their own repertoire or be forced to only play other people's music. I do hope he gets more credit though. I think part of the problem is that he became so famous that it's seen as cliche or low status to hold him in high esteem. People have similar attitudes about Bernstein.

[@martinhaub2602]

One of Mehta's best qualities: he is no snob. He recorded - beautifully - music from Star Wars and Close Encounters. And neglected works like symphonies by Chadwick and Schmidt. Can you imagine his contemporaries like Maazel, Abbado, or Barenboim playing John Williams? It just occurred to me that it was 40 years ago this summer that I heard Mehta doing Mahler 3 at the Grand Teton Music Festival. What a thrill that was! edit: the CT video - Mehta's Schmidt 4th was not the first. That would have been Rudolf Moralt with the Vienna Symphony on a Philips LP 20 years earlier.

[@HassoBenSoba]

Ah, yes..the Mehta/Vienna Schmidt 4th Symphony from 1971. In the mid-90's, after a Chicago Symphony concert that Mehta conducted, I visited him in his dressing/reception room. I told him his Schmidt 4th was unequaled, and asked if he might consider performing it with the CSO. He leaned forward in his comfy leather chair and literally...actually...whined and said: "Ahhhh...but then I would have to LEARN it again." (!) So I guess we should be very happy that once upon a time, Mehta, the VPO and Decca all decided that he should not only learn it but preserve it in the studio as well. LR

[@andrasvrolok9848]

I attended and enjoyed many of Mehta’s live performances when he was with the New York Philharmonic. His premiere of Messiaen’s Éclairs sur l’Au-Delà was a powerfully moving experience. I was also present when Mehta did the reading of the A. J. Kernis piece in 1983-Mehta told the young composer that three trumpets in unison were excessive for the melodic line in one passage, but Kernis insisted that such was his intention and Mehta should play it as written. His current concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic that one can experience on their channel have been quite fine-the performers clearly appreciate his insights and play with passion under his direction. He was made an honorary member of the orchestra and I’d expect they’ll do a Mehta boxed set at some point on their own label.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I was at the Messiaen too---a splendid concert.

[@mancal5829]

I'm all for new Mehta recordings. Let's see if happens; it certainly wouldn't be a bad thing, not at all.

[@s.k.angyal3768]

What ever comes up on your list, I don’t want to swap his Schumann Symphony cycle with The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with anything else🎶

[@dmntuba]

I would luv to see him go back and do a few recordings with all his former orchestras 👍

[@richfarmer3478]

I was following along with the transcript and read the Samsung organ symphony?? Oh the Saint- Saens.

[@grantparsons6205]

Mehta is massively underrated (perhaps rather like Ormandy was). I'd be hard pressed to limit his outstanding recordings to a "top 10". I'm sure racial prejudice has a role to play here ( it does in most spheres of life or why wouldn't it in classical music...), although his participation in the 3Tenors extravaganza might have damaged his reputation as a deeply serious musician with a great deal to say... Certainly cultural prejudice is widespread & ridiculous. Slatkin gets little recognition, for example, as probably the preeminent conductor of the mainstream English symphony in our times. Similarly, the outstanding "socialist realist" interpretations of Beethoven & Bruckner (Suitner, Kegel, Rogner & others) got little western audience during the cold war & lay neglected in the archives for much of the period afterwards.

[@vincentzincone8012]

He's kind of flamboyant just like Bernstein. You knew you would get a supercharged performance.

[@judsonmusick3177]

Dave, you mentioned Mehta's recording of "Il Trovatore" as one of his 10 best. You praised the performances of Placido Domingo and Leontyne Price, and rightly so, but you forgot to mention Sherill Milnes, who sang the equally important role of Count di Luna.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I didn't forget anything.

[@msilverz]

Dave, do you know the Schubert 9 with the Vienna Philharmonic on Orfeo? I like that even more than the Decca recording (which I agree is excellent).

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes.

[@grantparsons6205]

My Mehta wishlist is an Enescu cycle with the VPO....

[@jensguldalrasmussen6446]

I have generally not been attracted to the music making of Metha, but in my mind he is the proprietor of Turandot - at least what more modern recordings pertain. Ps. The nationalistic stereotyping for commercial reasons is indeed sickening, but for some of the conductors mentioned, I think, we could on their side of the fence, see the return to more 'classical' standard repertoire when growing older, as a return to 'the fountain of youth" - a rekindling of the emotions of what first attracted them to and made them love music!

[@robhaynes4410]

It's interesting compare him with other conductors of his generation in this respect. Ozawa literally went home, although I don't know whether Western classical music is developed enough in India for Mehta to do the same. But it strikes me that Ozawa is mostly sticking to late romantic music rather than Japanese music (although I'm sure Takemitsu is getting his attention). Blomstedt, on the other hand, hasn't gone home in any sense. He's out there conducting German orchestras in German repertoire. It's not like he's in Stockholm conducting Atterberg. But it is an option for him in a way it wouldn't be for Mehta.

[@sivakumarvakkalanka5054]

Fun fact: In his ( underwhelming ) autobiography ( of sorts) Mehta says the reason why he came to be associated with the late Romantics is that Sir George Solti was ( perhaps understandbly) numero uno at Decca records in the 60s and got dibs on the repertoire the album would record. So, he ended up conducting R.Strauss etc.

[@Markinsky]

Do you remember him on the cover of Time magazine in 1968?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Nope.

[@oeneroorda2699]

Nice talk, interesting observation that a conductor is often linked to music of his motherland. Would this also be true for performers?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Of course.

[@steveschwartz8944]

I'm also a great fan of Metals Schmidt Symphpmy No. 4, my intro to Schmidt. I second the recommendation of his Turandot. I would also add his recordings of Bloch's Schelomo and Voice in the Wilderness. The Starker/Mehta and the Fournier/Wallenstein remain my two favorite recordings of Schelomo.

[@stevenmsinger]

I'm wondering how Mehta's newer Australian World Orchestra version of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring stacks up against his LA Phil version. Any major difference?

[@thiinkerca]

Why was mehta in some quarters excoriated for adversely impacting the quality of the New York Philharmonic. I appreciate your comments on mehta being sometimes underratedand race was likely at times a factpr . With age , there are always dangers of slowing down. It will be I guess a mixed bag,

[@matthewgarza6816]

It’s interesting to note about conductors returning to their homeland whether they’re German, English, French, Russian, etc. but not mention about American conductors, and it’s a very common issue among Americans. They bring non-American conductors (Solti, Mehta, Barenboim, Maazel, Szell, etc.) over here to bring their European training over to America and bring the best sounds out of these American orchestras. And it doesn’t give the American conductors a chance to bring their careers up and arms and give the sounds they want unless you’re Bernstein or MTT. So it brings up two questions: 1) Is there an issue among American education to bring up American conductors to put themselves up on the map of great conductors? 2) How would that affect the recording industry where American conductors are trying to bring their best sounds and sell it to the world?

[@CortJohnson]

Another box set missed! Possible video - conductors who aged well - explored new repertoire or improved on past recordings and those who didn’t.