Florence marked the 90th birthday of Zubin Mehta with a sold-out concert and extended celebrations at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino on 29 April, highlighting the conductor’s longstanding connection with the city and its main musical institution.
The evening centred on a performance of Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven, conducted from memory by Mehta with the Maggio’s orchestra and chorus. The choice of the Ninth, known for its message of universal brotherhood, framed the event as both a concert and a tribute to a career spanning over 60 years.
A celebration beyond the concert
The celebrations began earlier in the evening with the opening of a photographic exhibition featuring around 90 images and a video highlighting key moments in Mehta’s life and career.
On stage, he was joined by an international cast of soloists, including soprano Jessica Pratt, mezzosoprano Szilvia Vörös, tenor Bernard Richter and bass Simon Lim. The performance concluded with more than ten minutes of applause and a standing ovation from a full theatre.
Institutional tribute and symbolic gift
At the end of the concert, Florence mayor Sara Funaro and Maggio superintendent Carlo Fuortes joined Mehta on stage to mark the occasion.
The theatre presented the conductor with a gold baton, created in collaboration with a Florentine jeweller, as a symbol of gratitude for his long association with the institution and his contribution to its artistic life. The orchestra and chorus also performed a brief birthday tribute, adding a more informal moment to the official ceremony.
A long-standing bond with Florence
Mehta has served as honorary conductor for life of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and has been closely linked to the theatre for decades. His presence on the podium for this anniversary reinforced a relationship often described by the conductor himself as a personal and artistic home.
The celebrations continued after the concert with a private dinner at the theatre attended by family members, long-time collaborators and guests from the international music world.
(Photo: Michele Monasta / Teatro del Maggio Facebook page)
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