Zubin Mehta. An under-rated conductor?

[pastoralguy]

I've been listening to the new Decca box set of Mehta's work that was released recently and, for once, listening in chronological order as opposed to 'cherry picking' my favourite works. I have to say, I've listened to 8 of the 23 discs and have yet to find a dud. (I know there's still time!)

What has struck me is the commitment of the orchestras playing for him. There's no sense of 'studio run through' here. These strike me as genuine performances that have been well prepared and extremely well played.

Mehta is a conductor I've always regarded as being a bit 'second banana' but this set is really opening my eyes to great music making.

[Stanfordian]

I've been listening to the new Decca box set of Mehta's work that was released recently and, for once, listening in chronological order as opposed to 'cherry picking' my favourite works. I have to say, I've listened to 8 of the 23 discs and have yet to find a dud. (I know there's still time!)

What has struck me is the commitment of the orchestras playing for him. There's no sense of 'studio run through' here. These strike me as genuine performances that have been well prepared and extremely well played.

Mehta is a conductor I've always regarded as being a bit 'second banana' but this set is really opening my eyes to great music making.

Hiya pastoralguy,

I was in Berlin last year and Mehta conducted the Israel Philharmonic in a stunning performance of Mahler Symphony No. 9. This was in spite of having recently had an operation on his knee and limped with the aid of a stick to the podium and sat down to conduct with his leg out in a stange position. I heard the Israel Phil again 3 weeks ago in Dresden under Wellber playing Shostakovich 6 and it was in excellent form

[Dave2002]

Mehta conducted the first performance of the Rite of Spring I heard live, in the RFH many years ago. It was stunning, but maybe I was just blown away by the music then.

[jean]

I remember him in Liverpool in the late 1950s, just after he won the International Conductors Competition there.

I was impressed, but perhaps only because he was very pretty in those days.

[Zucchini]

Brilliant and charismatic in the opera house. I've attended spellbinging performances of Otello and Tristan.

[Richard Tarleton]

Top recording of Trovatore with L Price/Domingo/Milnes/Cossotto....

[EdgeleyRob]

Terrific LAPO Planets (a CD that includes some Star Wars and Close Encounters music )
Brilliant Mozart Sinfonia Concertante (Perlman Zumerman)
Good LPO Symphonie Fantastique
Wonderful Three Tenors backing of course
Back in the olden days I had some of his Mahler on vinyl,great 3rd symphony IIRC

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

His Live concerts can be terrifically exciting - and, if he doesn't always get very far beneath the surface layers on recordings, by 'eck he makes the most of what those layers have to offer. Interested to hear your feedback on the Schönberg and Ives recordings pastie - I haven't heard them in over thirty-five years!

[Petrushka]

I think Mehta's career has followed a not dissimilar route to that of Maazel in that his earlier recordings are considered better while his latter interpretations have more flash than substance. I've no idea if this is correct or not as I have very few of his recordings. I do, however, have two Mahler Resurrection's, the VPO 1975 outing and a live 1982 one in the NYPO Mahler Edition. Both are very, very good indeed. I did have the Ives 2 with the LAPO on LP which, like Ferney, I've not heard for many years.

I've seen him live a few times and have been impressed without being blown away.

Perhaps Mehta's problem is that he has lived in an age of truly great conductors and tended to slip under the radar.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I love his Also Sprach with the LAPO.

[cloughie]

I remember him in Liverpool in the late 1950s, just after he won the International Conductors Competition there.

I was impressed, but perhaps only because he was very pretty in those days.

He was a pretty good conductor - back in the sixties his sparkling performances and Decca's recording quality were a great match with both the LAPO and IPO. R Strauss, Bloch, Varese, a superb Rite, Dvorak 7 and an 1812 described by one reviewer as not for small machines or semi-detached houses. His Also Sprach equalled VPO Karajan and CSO Reiner on performance and sonically knocked them for six. There was also a super Ravel LP LAPO Daphnis 2, M Goose Suite and La Valse.

[Richard Tarleton]

I've seen him live a few times and have been impressed without being blown away.

Living in the sticks I only saw him once - J du Pré's last appearance - Elgar, and Bruckner 9. He can also be seen playing double bass with the gang on that Nupen film of the Trout

[LeMartinPecheur]

His LAPO Saint-Saens organ symphony is still making a few bucks for Decca https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saint-Saens...ns+organ+mehta
I have a great fondness for it: it was the first 'proper' LP (along with a few EMI samplers) my dad bought to go with his first and only hifi stereo system. Therefore my own first exposure to stereo LPs, and big unknown classical works in state of art sound.

His original LP and a CD reissue still on my shelves

I agree about the similarity between the careers and critical reception of Mehta and Maazel - the same thought had occurred to me recently. Both were early stars for Decca ffss too.

[cloughie]

His LAPO Saint-Saens organ symphony is still making a few bucks for Decca https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saint-Saens...ns+organ+mehta
I have a fondness for it: it was the first 'proper' LP (along with a few EMI samplers)my dad bought to go with his first and only hifi stereo system. Thefore my own first exposurey to stereo LPs, and big unknown classical works in state of art sound.

His original LP and a CD reissue still on my shelves

I agree about the comparison between the careers of Mehta and Maazel - the same thought had occurred to me recently. Both were early stars for Decca ffss too.

SXL6482 ffss at its best!

[Alison]

I always thought Gramophone had a downer on Zubin, with Robert Layton spearheading the attack.