Zubin Mehta To Conduct Symphony Orchestra Of India At NCPA In August

Legendary maestro – Zubin Mehta, the globally-acclaimed music conductor originally from Mumbai, Music Director Emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and Conductor Emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is all set to flick that magical baton in Mumbai, next month! Zubin Mehta will lead the ‘Symphony Orchestra of India’ (SOI), comprising over 90 musicians, on the 19th and 21st of August, 2023, at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), at Nariman Point, in Mumbai.
NCPA Chairman, Khushroo N. Suntook, confirmed the news, adding that NCPA and the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation (MMMF) were elated that NCPA would be hosting the globally acclaimed conductor. “The two special concerts will include the works of classical giants – Schubert (‘Unfinished’) and Mozart (‘Overture’ from ‘The Marriage of Figaro’). The programme will also feature Mahler’s monumental First Symphony, also called ‘The Titan’. The symphony will be performed with Mahler’s ‘Blumine’, the rarely heard original second movement,” informed Khushroo Suntook.
Zubin Mehta, who will be conducting the SOI for the first time, was to earlier perform at NCPA in November last year, but had to cancel as he was down with exhaustion, given his heavily booked schedule and frequent travels. He needed to rest and thus has to reschedule his visit. He has been conducting regularly since, and has marked these dates for his trip to Mumbai.
Delighted about the upcoming concert being the high point in the collaboration between NCPA and MMMF, Suntook said, “Being convinced of SOI’s quality concerts over the past years, Zubin consented to conduct the orchestra. This is a great honour for the SOI, as Zubin is one of the greatest conductors today. Many of the performances the MMMF has presented have been held at the NCPA in the past, including concerts by Zubin Mehta with visiting orchestras. More recently, the NCPA and MMMF have been co-presenting performances by visiting artistes,” added Suntook who grew up with Zubin Mehta as children.
Like NCPA, MMMF, named after Zubin’s father Mehli Mehta, who was a pioneer in Western Classical music in India, was started with the support of Mehta and his brother Zarin, to work towards widening the audience for Western Classical music in India.

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