The Belgrade Philharmonic achieved extraordinary success during its tour in India, where it received an invitation to perform with one of the greatest conductors of today – Zubin Mehta, on the occasion of his 90th birthday. From the debut performance in Mumbai, the first in the history of this orchestra, to the farewell concert accompanied by the highest awards, the visit was crowned with a real artistic triumph.
On this occasion, Zubin Mehta gathered today’s top artists – legendary violinist Pinchas Zukerman and pianist icon Lang Lang – making the Belgrade Philharmonic equal to the best of the best. In this way, the Philharmonic stands side by side with the world’s largest orchestras. Performing with the highest artistic elite, the Belgrade Philharmonic shined and once again confirmed its place on the world stage of classical music.
Zubin Mehta:
“The first orchestra I thought of, was one of my favorite orchestras – the Belgrade Philharmonic. They are a wonderful group of musicians; they love to make music and I have a really special connection with them. I’m waiting for a new concert hall in Belgrade! I hope that it will happen and that the president will provide the funds for it. Belgrade and its musicians need a new concert hall!”, said the great Mehta.
Lang Lang:
“I’ve always heard about the Belgrade Philharmonic in the past. Unfortunately, I never played in Belgrade, but it’s wonderful that I could now perform with them for the first time. I feel fantastic working with this orchestra – they are true musicians with a strong traditional sound. Today we have many excellent orchestras, but it’s hard to know where they come from because of the uniform international sound. With the Belgrade Philharmonic, you can clearly hear the tradition, and that’s what makes the difference and what’s very moving,” said the famous Lang Lang.
The words of such artistic greats confirm that the Belgrade Philharmonic is opening a new chapter in its international career and that its artistic scope deserves adequate conditions in the domestic framework in which it could welcome an artist like Lang Lang. The planetary pianist star is delighted with the orchestra, so immediately after the joint concert in Mumbai, Lang Lang offered his dates for coming to Belgrade and for a new performance with the Philharmonic, which is an honor for every orchestra and a dream of many audiences.
Visiting India was one of the most beautiful pages in the international biography of the Belgrade Philharmonic, to the pride of the generation of musicians who had the honor of presenting and celebrating their institution and the entire country for the first time in South Asia. In addition to the concerts it held, the Belgrade Philharmonic showed the audience in Mumbai the documentary film “Da Capo: Zubin Mehta and the Belgrade Philharmonic”, by Boris Miljković, which had its world premiere at the National Center for the Performing Arts. Also, all members of the Belgrade Philharmonic were special guests at two receptions on the occasion of maestro Mehta’s birthday, in a Parsi temple and the Taj Mahal Palace, where they were given the highest honors.
