A musical or Jewish story everywhere

By David Amos

SAN DIEGO — My musical travels have given to me very special moments, and every one of them is a story, worthy of mentioning in an imaginary future book. Here are some of them:

*Watching the Israel Philharmonic, with Itzhak Perlman and Zubin Mehta, rehearsing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, only hours after I had conducted the orchestra in recording sessions. On another trip, I was the only person in Tel-Aviv’s Mann Auditorium, this time to watch the IPO with Mehta with violinist Isaac Stern, working on the Beethoven Concerto.

*Being in Kosice, in Slovakia, in 1992, and being taken to a Kosher restaurant, a city with practically no Jews. The concert hall, where I directed the orchestra used to be a synagogue in the 1930’s.

*Being in an airplane,Paristo Tel-Aviv, seated serendipitously next to Itzhak Perlman, and the conversations we had.

*Being in front on the London Symphony Orchestra, in 1990, ready to start recording, when the orchestra’s manager announced to the musicians that their conductor laureate, Leonard Bernstein, had died two days before.

*Being invited to a synagogue inVilnius,Lithuania, and asked to join in the Friday Night prayers. The next day, in a live concert in Kaunas, a man came up to me to talk in Hebrew and establish a connection. Three days later, I was taken to visit one of the city’s two Jewish cemeteries.

*Conducting on the stage of the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. The acoustics were the best I have ever encountered. This was the place where so many legendary greats performed: Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Bernstein, and the celebrated come-back concert of Vladimir Horowitz, in his historic return to Russia.

*Working with producers and engineers who recorded legendary artists such as Callas, Sills, Von-Karajan, Simon Rattle, Sir Thomas Beecham, Klemperer, all the London Orchestras, and the Berlin Philharmonic. These technical icons also were part of the recording of many popular film scores, and even the Beatles, at Abbey Road Studios.

*Walking through London with a retired musician of the Philharmonia Orchestra, who, between stops in various pubs, showed me the homes of legendary musicians, and even in which booths they imbued spirits in historic watering holes. Thomas Beecham, many others.

*Having a recording session in Glasgow,Scotland, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and having my two daughters and son-in-law witness the dynamics and excitement of a recording in progress. Totally different from the finished product that culminates in the commercial compact discs.

*Conducting the unique Israel Philharmonic, and having my wife Lee being invited to play in the violin section for the recording. A lifetime experience for both of us. Nothing can prepare you for the first face-to-face rehearsal with the IPO. I lived through some of the funniest and most inspiring memories of my life during those encounters in the 1980’s. The out-takes from the recording sessions, which I have, contain some precious moments.

*Meeting with and discussing music in depth with some of the great composers of the Twentieth Century. Some names which may be familiar to you include Morton Gould, Alan Hovhaness, Paul Creston, Norman Dello-Joio, Yannis Xenakis, Gian-Carlo Menotti, and Miklos Rozsa.

*Sitting in a master class at the Juilliard School of Music, which was taught by the iconic flutist Julius Baker. In various other New York trips, meeting with Martin Bookspan, who, for many years was the radio and television voice of the New York Philharmonic and Live at Lincoln Center.

*Being interviewed by Kol Israel Radio, where the hour-long conversation not only dealt with music, but also the never-ending conflict of Israel and its neighbors.

*Having dinner in Katowice, Poland, with a young record producer who was supervising my recordings with the Polish National Radio Orchestra, and finding her fascination and desire to talk about the Holocaust and the role of the Polish people during these terrible times.

*In another trip to Poland, visits to Auschwitz and Birkenau, as it was practically forced on me by a Christian cab driver who insisted that “any Jew, or anyone else for that matter, needs to be there, see what happened, and tell the world about it”.

*Being interviewed, and given a very warm welcome in 2004 at Boston’s WGBH Radio, arguably theUnited States’ most prestigious classical music station.

*Meeting with, and being hosted by Gian Carlo Menotti, (The most prolific opera composer of the Twentieth Century), in his castle in Scotland. This is a real castle in the vicinity of Edinburgh. On that visit, I also met in Menotti’s home the Australian-British comic Barry Humphries (AKA “Dame Edna”) famous for his U.K. Television comedies.

*Having lunch in New York with Peter Schickele, composer and creator of the imaginary character, composer PDQ Bach. We were having our meal constantly interrupted by autograph seekers. For him, not for me.

*Being at the Hollywood home of celebrated film composer Miklos Rozsa, in preparation for a recording of his orchestral music. You may not recognize his name, but you certainly have heard and remember his Hollywood spectacular film scores. Our conversation was rich in anecdotes and details concerning the golden years of film making, the spectacular productions, the moguls, and the relationships and opulence of another era. I was thrilled to hold in my hands his two Oscars, which were on a table next to our armchairs.

*Getting a walking tour of Jerusalem, given to us by Victor Navon, brother of the former President of Israel. He showed us places, synagogues, and historic sites of Jerusalem which most tourists will never see.

*Going to a music conservatory in Northern Israel, where Arab and Jewish Israeli youth were playing chamber music together. There were no political barriers; just the love of good music and good comradeship.

*The first time I met Zubin Mehta: Did we discuss orchestral music? Not at all. It was in the mid 1990’s. We talked about the San Diego Padres and their unsuccessful pursuit of winning the World Series.

But mostly, talking to musicians, and establishing lifelong relationships with famous and the not so famous, hearing their stories, attitudes, rise to prominence, experiences with anti-Semitism, living under the Soviet system,  glorious triumphs, and much more.

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Amos is conductor of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra and has conducted professional orchestras around the world.  He my be contacted at david.amos@sdjewishworld.com