“On tour with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, an ensemble that named him music director for life in 1981, Zubin Mehta is increasingly” speaking out about “Middle East politics,” writes Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim in Thursday’s (3/20) New York Times. “ ‘I have such a love for this country, Israel,’ … the Mumbai-born Mr. Mehta, now 77, said recently…. ‘I speak openly about a country that I see … as going in the wrong direction…. But they know I’m a friend.’ ” The article briefly discusses other prominent musicians recently making news their political stances, among them Gustavo Dudamel, Evgeny Kissin, Daniel Barenboim, and Valery Gergiev. “Last fall Gergiev was heckled by gay rights activists at the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera and at a Carnegie Hall, where he led the Mariinsky Orchestra—[showing] how politicized classical music can be…. Mehta’s appearances with the Israel Philharmonic continue to get picketed by pro-Palestinian protesters.… There are as yet no Arab Israeli members of the orchestra, and Mr. Mehta has thrown his weight behind an educational project run by members of the Israel Philharmonic that fosters talent in the predominantly Arab towns of Nazareth and Shfaram.”
Posted March 21, 2014
