From Bombay in the 1930s to becoming one of the most famous conductors in the world. Who is the real person behind the public persona and what lies behind his musical convictions? Zubin Mehta’s is a fascinating autobiography.
In autumn 1961 I moved to Canada with my wife and children. We boarded an ocean liner at Cherbourg and crossed the Atlantic. In the dramaturgy of events this voyage turned out to be an apt start to our new life. When we finally arrived in Montreal we met with a very warm reception.
I was still rather poor and I had to look after a family of four. Here Pierre Beique came to the rescue. He was a wonderful person who soon became a good friend. He arranged things in such a way that the Montreal Symphony Orchestra bought us a house. For the moment our worst financial worries were over.
When I take stock of the year 1961 I have to acknowledge that everything, which was going to be decisive for the rest of my life, regularly fell into my lap that year. I am very grateful for this.
In the period from August 1960 until September 1961 I had conducted all the orchestras that I consider my musical family. I have remained faithful to them all my life and they have become milestones for me.
New York, Florence — The music of the twentieth century
My debut with the New York Philharmonic as music director was an extraordinary event because of the large number of people who attended. About 140,000 people came to the concert in Central Park. It was one of those famous open-air concerts that anyone can attend for free — a terrific achievement of the city of New York…
I think highly of such concerts also because they contribute to musical education and give us a chance to win over a new audience. Thus the arguments normally directed against this kind of music are rather snobbish. In my opinion there is no reason to object if people go to a park with a picnic basket and listen to a top-class orchestra there, even if it means that the programming is somewhat more accessible…
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Nancy — A Love Story
I want to say something fundamental about my personal life, something that I consider worth sharing. Most of all I would like to talk about the two children from my first marriage, Zarina and Mervon, who have already given me grandchildren.
My daughter lives in Canada. Both my children are workaholics in the true Mehta tradition. Zarina works in the field of nursing. She is a nurse’s aide and looks after sick people in a completely self-sacrificing way. My son is the vice president of Programming at the Centre for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, the Kimmer Centre. Earlier he was an actor, a good one I thought.
Despite the innumerable commitments that make my life so tumultuous I feel very closely connected to my children. In this respect again I have to compliment my wife Nancy. She accepted my children from my first marriage in such a way that she was always there for them whenever they needed her.
Finally I also want to speak about my two children born out of marriage. There has been enough gossip on this topic. Enough has been said on conditions of anonymity, quoting supposedly reliable sources. My daughter, Alexandra, who lives in Los Angeles, was born out of a relationship that I had between my two marriages.
Alexandra was born in 1967 and already has three children — Alec, Kevin and Emma. I see them all whenever I am in Los Angeles and I am happy with that. Alexandra and Zarina also have a wonderful relationship. Nancy has taken care of Alexandra, even from a distance, with sympathy and understanding.
I deeply offended my wife and hurt her unendingly when I had another son in Israel eighteen years ago. I know that I inflicted a lot of pain on Nancy on that occasion. I can never thank her enough for bearing this pain and not leaving me, hurt and humiliated.
It must certainly have been dreadful for her to find out first from me and then from newspapers that a son was born of a brief affair. The fact that she did not leave me helped me in dealing with my mistake and the difficulties that followed.
ZUBIN MEHTA
THE SCORE OF MY LIFE
Author: Zubin Mehta
Publisher: Roli Books
Price: Rs 395
Pages: 201
