The scion of a prosperous Parsi family, the Indian conductor grew up in Mumbai and studied under Hans Swarowsky at the legendary University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alongside Claudio Abbado. For more than half a century, Mehta has fostered a close relationship with the Israeli Philharmonic. Since first conducting them in the '60s, he has filled various positions with the ensemble. In 1977, he became their musical director - an assignment that will conclude this year. In his public statements about the orchestra, he speaks of its members as if they were members of an extensive family, mentioning that he is on intimate terms with many of the musicians personally.
All of this serves to put Mehta's humanism - one of the most important features of his identity as an artist and a person - in a tangible light. This deep humanity is also evident in the programme he has selected for this concert: completed in 1896 and first premièred in 1901, Mahler's Symphony No. 3 is an epic depiction of the world, with the fresco of the the opening movement titled Pan Awakes, Summer Marches In being followed by movements revealing what the flowers in the meadow, the animals in the forest and people and angels all had to say to the composer, before the finalé closes with a wordless hymn to love.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest