By Eileen Wingard
SAN DIEGO — As a teenager, growing up in Los Angeles, I was an active member of the Labor Zionist Youth Movement, Habonim. I was also a serious student of the violin. My dream was to unite those two passions by making aliya to the Jewish State and playing in the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO).
Although I never realized that dream, I have always had a special place in my heart for the IPO and cherish the many connections I have had, over the years, with people who founded, conducted, played in and soloed with that venerable orchestra.
I am looking forward to hearing the performance this Thursday evening, November 12, 7:30 pm. at the Civic Theatre in San Diego. It is sponsored by the La Jolla Music Society. On the podium will be one of the leading conductors of the world, the IPO’s Conductor for Life, Zubin Mehta.
This orchestra was founded in 1936 by the famous Polish-born violinist, Bronislaw Huberman. With Hitler’s rise to power and anti-Semitism flairing up in Europe, Huberman invited the best Jewish musicians from Germany and surrounding countries to immigrate to Palestine and form an orchestra in the Jewish Yishuv. The ensemble of refugees made its debut under the greatest conductor of the day, Arturo Toscanini.
When I was 16 years old, I attended a violin recital in Los Angeles given by Bronislaw Huberman. I still retain a copy of the printed program. The performance was magnificent. Courageously, I went backstage afterwards to ask for the violinist’s autograph. His dressing room was filled with well-known Los Angeles musicians, eager to exchange words with him. However, he took time to speak with me. He showed genuine interest when I introduced myself by my Hebrew name. Yehudit, and told him that I was studying violin. I will never forget his kindness. This was one of his final performances. He died the following year.
In 1950, while still an undergraduate at UCLA, I attended the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood, playing in the Tanglewood Orchestra. Serge Koussevitzky, the great Russian-born conductor of the Boston Symphony and the Director of Tanglewood, had just returned from a tour of Europe and Israel. In his opening remarks to the Tanglewood staff and students he spoke about the IPO: “That orchestra deserves special mention. Founded by the late Bronislaw Huberman 14 years ago, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra not only survived the crucial war period in Palestine, but heroically carried out its schedule during and regardless of the crisis. It is a splendid orchestra with sound traditions, representing a true artistic value, a means of communication, and of cultural relations of the people of Israel with the outside world.”
Koussevitzky invited three young principal players of the IPO to participate in the Tanglewood Orchestra that summer.All were refugees from Germany: Eliahu Thorner, oboe; Jonah Ettlinger, clarinet; and Mordecai Rechtsman, bassoon. He also invited Moshe Murvetz, a 16-year-old sabra from Kibbutz Bet Alpha, who later became one of the concertmasters of the IPO. So, although I never played in the IPO, I was in the Tanglewood Orchestra with IPO musicians. Best of all, the orchestra had two concerts under the dynamic direction of Leonard Bernstein, who became the IPO’s permanent guest conductor and loyal supporter. I also took lessons that summer from Haifa-born violinist, Zvi Zeitlin, a frequent soloist with the IPO. Until his recent death, Zvi served as head of the Violin Department at the Eastman School of Music.
In the Fall, after my summer at Tanglewood, the IPO toured the US for the first time. The tour was supposed to be conducted by Serge Koussevitzy, but, unfortunately, he became ill and Leonard Bernstein substituted for the ailing maestro. I remember listening to the IPO’s wonderful program in Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium. I went backstage afterwards to greet Bernstein and reminisce about the previous summer at Tanglewood.
In the intervening years, I have become acquainted with additional members of the IPO. Violist Rachel Kam and I developed a close friendship during the years she spent in San Diego while her husband, Zvi, did post-doctoral work at UCSD. When she and her family returned to Israel, she played, first, in the Israel Chamber Orchestra and, later, in the IPO. As a member of the IPO, she served as chair of the orchestra committee, an important post because, unlike most orchestras, the IPO is run by the musicians themselves. The Kam’s children, Sharon, clarinetist and Ori, violist are both Israeli musicians who have soloed with the IPO and have international careers.
Yossi Arnheim, principal flute of the IPO, performed under the auspices of the JCC Music Committee, of which I was chair, and Leor Eitan stayed at my home when the Kfar Ono Band came for performances in San Diego. He is the current principal piccolo player of the IPO.
My sister, Violinist Zina Schiff, made her two highly acclaimed debut recordings, Bach/Vivaldi and The Lark Ascending with the IPO, under the direction of Dalia Atlas, and for eight seasons, I was privileged to perform in the San Diego Symphony under the baton of the brilliant Israeli conductor, Yoav Talmi, current professor of conducting at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Tel Aviv University, who, like most other Israeli conductors, has guest conducted the IPO. Several other outstanding Israeli maestros had guest podium stints with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra during my 37-year tenure, including Gary Bertini, Yoel Levi, Eliahu Inbal, and Uriel Segal.
With all these special ties to the IPO, I am looking forward to the Nov. 12 concert with great anticipation. The program will include Beethoven’s heroic Symphony #3 (Eroica), Ravel’s exciting La valse and a new work by the Georgian-born Israeli composer, Josef Bardanashvili.
For ticket information, call: 858-459-3728.
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Wingard is a former violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and a freelance writer. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com