Just look at this image:
Zubin Mehta, at the age of 26, was the youngest ever conductor to head a major American orchestra. Truly ingenious, he led them to international acclaim. This DVD was recorded at the height of this collaboration, and beautifully portrays an emerging star.
In his youth, Mehta was already so much more than a conductor. His profound connection with the orchestra led to a unity of sound which is rare in today’s jet-set reality. He understood to stretch the orchestra technically because he knew it inside out.
On this DVD, Mehta shows his competence and versatility in his interpretations of great works from the 18th, 19th and 20th Century.
“What we saw in this unknown young man of twenty-five was the kind of magic that separates the merely talented artists from the exceptionally, exceedingly talented. The moment we first talked to him about his work and his whole approach to music, we knew that here was not only a musical intelligence of almost genius comprehension, but also an exceptional human being radiating such vitality, honesty and charisma that we couldn’t help but be drawn to him.” – Olive Behrendt (Member of the LA Philharmonic’s Executive Committee)
Selections were recorded live at the Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, 10-13 January 1977.
Here is Maestro Mehta in the Symphony #8 by Beethoven:
