Mehta: Bring Santos and FARC members to my concert and they will shake hands
BOGOTA – Indian conductor Zubin Mehta said in an interview with EFE that music helps make peace and if Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC guerrilla leaders attend his next concert in Bogota, they would end up shaking hands with a smile.
The 80-year-old Mehta, who will lead the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at Bogota's Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo on Thursday, told EFE that music of all kinds causes spirits to soar.
Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9 in C major, also known as "The Great Symphony," is special for South Americans since it makes people feel good after listening to it and that is why it was selected for the orchestra's tour of the region, Mehta said.
Regarding pop music, Mehta said it elicited a similar response to classical music in listeners, especially among young people.
Pop music, however, is more ephemeral, while classical music endures for centuries, the conductor said.
Mehta, who was born in Mumbai, expressed hope that some Arab students taking classes in Israel might eventually join the philharmonic orchestra, which still does not have a Palestinian member.
Musicians and audiences have a desire for the situation to change, mainly because the orchestra cannot visit neighboring countries due to the tense relations between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, Mehta said.
Mehta said he hoped to perform in Egypt or Jordan, where there is "a comprehensive peace," but he has a special desire to do so in Baghdad.
In addition to the Schubert symphony, the orchestra will also play Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Andante Cantabile" and Robert Schumann's "Concert for Four Horns and Orchestra."
Comments