If one word could summarize the performance of Bruckner's Eighth Symphony that the conductor Zubin Mehta delivered with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall on Thursday evening, the likeliest would be ''noble.'' For nearly as long as Mr. Mehta has been in the public eye -- more than 50 years now -- he has shown a clear affinity for...
The current American tour by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, a seven-city, eight-concert trek that reached Carnegie Hall on Tuesday night, was meant to be a festive occasion. Doubly so, in fact. The orchestra, founded as the Palestine Symphony Orchestra in 1936, is celebrating both its 75th birthday and the 50th anniversary of Zubin Mehta's...
Even in symphonic works with significant percussion parts, the performers are usually heard but not seen, hidden behind throngs of string players. But for one work at Avery Fisher Hall on Wednesday evening, an array of percussion instruments -- including marimbas, vibraphone, Turkish hand drums and Arabic tambourine -- were lined up in front of the...