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Mumbai with Zubin Mehta
Portraying India
In post-independence India, Western classical music remained a niche pursuit, followed primarily by small circles in cities such as Bombay and Calcutta. At the same time, Indian classical music was being introduced to the West by maestros like Ravi Shankar. Zubin Mehta stood at the other end of this exchange. He went on to become one of the world’s most celebrated interpreters of Western symphonic music.
Trained in Vienna in the 1950s, Zubin Mehta’s career spanned over six decades, during which he directed the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, and most significantly, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. His work brought a distinctly global dimension to the role of conductor by bridging audiences, repertoires, and cultures.
Zubin Mehta was born in 1936 in Bombay to a Parsi family closely tied to music. His father, Mehli Mehta, a violinist and conductor, founded the Bombay Symphony Orchestra, bringing Western classical music into the city’s cultural landscape. In this environment, orchestral rehearsals and discussions about composers became part of his daily life.
Although his family initially encouraged him to study medicine, Zubin Mehta decided to pursue music instead. At eighteen, he moved to Vienna and enrolled at the Akademie für Musik, one of Europe’s leading conservatories. Vienna in the 1950s was a city of cultural revival, and it was here that Zubin Mehta trained under renowned conductors like Hans Swarowsky, learning the discipline of orchestral leadership and laying the foundation for a long and influential career.
After his studies in Vienna, Zubin Mehta’s career gained momentum quickly. In his early twenties, he started conducting major international orchestras. At the age of twenty-five, he was appointed Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Soon after, he took on the same position with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where his dynamic leadership brought fresh energy to the ensemble.
His most lasting association began in 1969 with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, where he eventually became Music Director for Life. Leading the orchestra in war zones and conflict areas, Zubin Mehta used music as a form of connection and healing. His work in Israel is often described as transformative. He became known for his ability to communicate across cultures, inviting musicians and listeners to experience the emotional depth of classical music.
This album cover captures a unique collaboration between sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and conductor Zubin Mehta. The recording, “Raga-Māla (Sitar Concerto No.2),” features the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta’s direction. Premiered in 1981, this concerto weaves the universality of music, bridging traditions from East and West.
“In truth, I became a conductor because deep down I wanted to conduct Brahms’ four symphonies and Richard Strauss’ tone poems.”
Nearly ninety years on, Zubin Mehta still takes the stage, conducting with the same conviction that first carried him from Bombay to Vienna. His concerts with the Symphony Orchestra of India in recent years remind audiences that his music is a living presence, not a memory. Across decades, he has shaped orchestras in Los Angeles, New York, Florence, Munich, and Tel Aviv, leaving behind institutions strengthened by his vision.
The world has recognized his contribution: the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan from India, the Kennedy Center Honor in the United States, the Praemium Imperiale from Japan, honorary citizenships and doctorates across Europe and beyond. These recognitions, while numerous, stand alongside something larger: the ovations in Vienna, the long tours across continents, and the concert halls filled with new listeners.
Mumbai, the “City of Dreams”, is built on what were once seven islands. The city grew into a peninsula shaped by Portuguese forts, British docks, and later the aspirations of independent India. It is the country’s financial hub, and equally the capital of cinema, where Bollywood shapes popular culture. Gothic Revival landmarks like Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus stand beside Marine Drive’s sweeping Art Deco. Local trains carry you past dazzling skyscrapers and colourful street scenes. Food stalls offer flavours from every community. In Mumbai, every street feels like a crossroads, where new experiences await and the energy of millions creates an unforgettable pulse, making it a destination that both challenges and inspires.
Recommendations for Further Exploration
To Read
Zubin Mehta: The Score of My Life – Autobiography as told to Renate Grafin Matuschka
Zubin Mehta: A Musical Journey by Bakhtiar K. Dadabhoy
At Tushita, we marvel at India with you. After 45 years of travelling the country, we’re still enamoured by its beauty every day. From Ladakh, where Tushita was anointed by a Buddhist monk in 1977, to Tamil Nadu, where we worked with locals to showcase one of the oldest cultures in the world, we are partners in your journey to discover our part of the world.
Where should we go today?