Vanska, Matsuev, Mehta, Bocelli all set to make maximum music

MUMBAI: Of all the reasons that make people choose Mumbai to live, one is not an option in any other city of the country: a real acquaintance with Beethoven and other imaginary friends. Those for whom this reason is paramount will be justly rewarded this year for slugging it out in Maximum City. Their regular diet—the lush concert seasons of Mumbai’s own Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), myriad performances by amateur choirs and ensembles, and an array of chamber recitals by professionals from abroad—will be richly supplemented by four acclaimed foreign orchestras and a string of top conductors and soloists.
Already, almost like a delightful prelude, a Czech orchestra, the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic, was here late last month, compelling an extended standing ovation for rendering the Ninth Symphony of their very own Dvorak like no one else. The first foreign ensemble to follow them will be the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), with its music director for life Zubin Mehta unbelievably returning to Mumbai just five months after his last tour. “This is a special occasion. We are celebrating his 80th year,” says Mehroo Jeejeebhoy, founder trustee, Mehli Mehta Music Foundation, which will present the concerts. Mehta reaches the milestone in April-end and a three-day programme with the IPO, an orchestra he nurtured for decades and raised to international prominence, starting on the 17th, is his special gesture to the city of his birth. With them will come the spousal duo of Israeli violinist Pinchas Zukerman, one of the world’s finest, and Canadian cellist Amanda Forsyth. There will also be the phenomenal Russian pianist Denis Matsuev. Yes, Matsuev. The ‘Siberian bear with the fastest paws in the Arctic and perhaps anywhere else' is indeed coming.
As is someone else, a certain Andrea Bocelli. Purists may not feel elevated by the art of the sensational crossover tenor, but who cannot be moved by his divine voice! The Italian will pair with Mexican soprano Maria Katzarava in an opera gala at Brabourne Stadium, concluding Mehta’s tour.
Before it all can sink in, the globally hailed Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR; translates as Orchestra of French-speaking Switzerland) will arrive in May for two concerts, on the 4th and 5th. Leading it will be Osmo Vanska. That’s right, Osmo Vänskä (for the faithful). A few years ago, the Finnish conductor, who is the music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, performed the impossible feat of bringing out such accounts of the Beethoven and Sibelius symphonies that shibboleths were shattered and loyalties changed. “Yes, yes, Vanska is indeed coming to Bombay,” says Khusroo Suntook, chairman, NCPA, which will present the OSR (and the remaining orchestras mentioned in this article). “Also, with him will be (renowned French violinist) Renaud Capucon.”
The OSR-Vanska act will be followed—without a break—by the China Philharmonic Orchestra on May 6. Despite being one of the world’s youngest orchestras (it was founded in 2000), it quickly rose in prominence, featuring among the ‘10 Most Inspiring Orchestras’ list brought out by Gramophone Magazine in 2009 (it should be borne in mind that this list is distinct from the prestigious London publication’s famous 2008 ranking of the world’s best symphony orchestras). “I’ve heard them in Beijing in Mahler’s Third. They are an astonishing orchestra,” says Suntook about the China Philharmonic. The ensemble will be led by its music director Yu Long, who is the most high profile Chinese conductor and one of the busiest in the business. He conducts with such dramatic flair that he has achieved the extreme gesture of making his baton take flight on at least one occasion (Swiss conductor Mischa Damev immediately comes to mind for achieving the same feat in Beethoven’s intense Third Symphony during SOI’s recently-concluded season).
A two-month interlude will follow these historic visits. After that, on July 7-8, one of the world’s oldest orchestras, the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, will be in town. It was founded in 1806, though under another name, predating the likes of the venerable Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics by decades. It will be led by its chief conductor James Gaffigan and at least one of the concerts will feature the terrifically talented Georgian virtuoso pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, who has a propensity to rile the critics on occasion with her performances.
There was talk of the NCPA bringing the great Budapest Festival Orchestra, but Suntook says the visit couldn’t materialize. The consolation is something else from Hungary: virtuoso violinist Kristof Barati, known for his powerful yet precise playing. He will be part of the SOI’s autumn season (September-October), which has other surprises in store. But more of that another day.