SDIJFF Preview: ‘Good Words, Good Deeds’

Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds: The Conductor Zubin Mehta, a documentary directed by Bettina Ehrhardt, English, German, Italian, 2016, 89 minutes, final movie of San Diego International Jewish Film Festival, to be shown at Reading Cinemas Town Square, 4665 Clairemont Drive, San Diego, on Sunday, February 17, 7:45 p.m.

By Eileen Wingard

SAN DIEGO — The film opens with Mahler’s 1^st Symphony, played by the Mumbai Symphony Orchestra. There is marvelous music throughout the movie, performed by the many different orchestras that Zubin Mehta has conducted.

During his lifetime, Mehta has served as music director of the Montreal Symphony (1961-67), the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1962-68), the New York Philharmonic (1978-91), the Israel Philharmonic (1981-2019), the chief conductor of Maggio Musicale Florentino (1985-present), and guest conducted opera companies and symphony orchestras throughout the world.

There is beautiful footage from the locations connected to his career. We see his middle class home in Mombai where, as a toddler, he sang before he learned to speak, and he would listen to his violinist father’s string quartet rehearse daily in preparation for their performances in the Taj Mahal Hotel.

His father, Mehli Mehta, founded what was then the Bombay Symphony, and when Zubin was a teenager, he was often allowed to conduct rehearsals.

We visit Tel Aviv’s concert hall and stroll with Mehta along the Tayelet, the boardwalk along the Mediterranean Sea.

Rachel Kam, violist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, relates her experience with Mehta when she auditioned for the IPO. When she misunderstood the directions and thought the orchestral excerpts needed to be memorized, he kindly requested, “Please bring in your music, and on the way back, stop for a drink of water.”

Rachel Kam spent several years in San Diego, while her husband, Zvi, a chemist with the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, was doing post-doctoral work at UC San Diego, studying with the late Murray Goodman. She performed in San Diego, including soloing with the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra.

There was also footage of Yossi Arnheim, when he was the principal flutist of the IPO. Yossi performed several times at the JCC in San Diego, during the IPO’s tours of North America.

One of the reasons that Mehta loved the IPO was because the members of the orchestra were all European trained, the same musical melieu in which he studied.

A poignant moment of the film was when Mehta took the IPO to perform in Berlin. The long ovation at the end of the concert required an encore. Mehta brought the orchestra back to play “Hatikvah.”

Another memorable scene was when Daniel Barenboim on piano, Itzhak Perlman on violin, Pinchas Zukerman on viola, Jaqueline du Pres on cello and Zubin Mehta on bass played Schubert’s Trout Quintet. The comradeship among these young virtuosos was palpable.

Some of the most spectacular scenes of the film were in Vienna and Florence. It was in Vienna that 18 year old Zubin studied at the Vienna State Music Academy under Hans Swarowsky.

When Mehta took over the Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 26, he was the youngest conductor of any major US orchestra.

His conducting of the three tenors, Pavarotti, Carreras and Domingo was another highlight.

As an Indian dancer in the movie explained, Zubin Mehta communicated the music with his expressive eyes as well as his arms. There was a spiritual quality as well as a humbleness in his approach.

His Parsi religious upbringing strongly influenced his life. It teaches that one should have good thoughts, say good words and perform good deeds.

This is a documentary for classical music lovers and for all who appreciate learning about an inspiring human being who has brought much that is good and beautiful into our world.

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Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com