Legend – the Maestro speaks

| Jun 26, 2015 |

My blog about Glenn Fischthal and his way of dealing with orchestral life seemed to really strike a chord. A great many people found his experiences to be funny, so I got back in touch with Glenn and, knowing he had many stories to tell, asked him to write down some of his favorites. What follows is Glenn writing about several experiences he had in the past when he was principal trumpet with the Israel Philharmonic.:

        Zubin Mehta loved to play pranks in the orchestra.  During my tenure as Principal Trumpet with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), the orchestra was on a series of run-out concerts from Tel-Aiv to Haifa.  The soloist on the program was Isaac Stern performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.  One night at intermission, after Isaac’s performance, I was called over the P.A. to Maestro Mehta’s room backstage.  Of course, when you’re called to the music director’s office, one is always suspicious that perhaps something about your playing needed to be addressed!  Having heard the announcement, my fellow Americans in the orchestra were quite concerned that perhaps I was in a bit of trouble!
        Well, after knocking on Zubin’s door, he invited me in and said, “I want to play a joke on Isaac and I need your help!”  “Okay!! Great!” I said, thinking this is a beautiful thing, and who would be better for the job than me?  So, he goes on to tell me that during the Molto meno mosso  passage in the final movement where solo woodwinds share a dialogue with the solo violin, he wants the trumpet to play the bassoon solos.  He was loving it!   Zubin told the bassoonist not to play the solos the next night and allow me to cover these measures on trumpet.  When I emerged from Zubin’s office, I saw that my worried American colleagues were anxiously huddled outside the door, waiting to hear what kind of scolding had perhaps been laid upon me.  To their relief and great astonishment, I told them about Zubin’s plan.
        Needless to say, during the next night’performance, Zubin begins smirking a few minutes prior to my entrance, knowing what was about happen.  The big moment approached and I played the bassoon solo. Ordinarily, as you know, the violin responds in kind.  But on hearing me play, Isaac swayed abruptly toward the podium as he played, only to see Zubin having a good laugh!
        Knowing that Zubin liked the occasional prank, we (the trumpet section) decided to play one on him.  Zubin conducted a great Mahler 5 and we performed it many times in Tel-Aviv as well as abroad. During one concert in Tel-Aviv at MANN auditorium, the orchestra was cruising along in the final movement when I was caught “day-dreaming” and forgot to play a short one-bar motif in the 1st trumpet part. Well, when you miss an entrance, Zubin will not forget and he’ll be anticipating your entrance the next performance.  We (Rafi Glasser, 2nd trumpet) decided we couldn’t miss an opportunity like this and planned to play up on the “day-dreaming” theme the second night, too.
        As the entrance approached, I continued to look around the orchestra, look out at the hall, look everywhere except at the music director to give the impression I was going to miss the entrance yet again.  It was clear Zubin was growing annoyed – I could feel his eyes drilling into me but I refused to look up.  At the last possible moment, as I was still looking around, Rafi whipped up his horn and played the lick.  A good laugh was had by all!
        From then on, every time we played Mahler 5 – and depending on Zubin’s mood, of course –the trumpets would scheme up a different variation on this joke to pull on Zubin – sometimes even passing bits of the solo down the line among all four players!

JOKES – PART DEUX
        During one concert in Tel Aviv with the IPO, Zubin Mehta conducted Beethoven’s Leonore Overture #3 which, as you know, includes two famous off-stage trumpet calls played mid-way through the overture. Generally, the offstage trumpeter is not called to the stage for a bow; however, on this occasion, Zubin summoned for me to come out to the stage for a solo bow.  Well, standing next to me at that moment was Ken Krohn, principal percussionist, an American who had very similar features as me – black beard, corpulent, etc.  So, I thought, this would be a good one on Zubin.  I quickly handed my trumpet to Ken and said, “Get out there and take a bow!”  And to Zubin’s and the orchestra’s astonishment, there stood Ken with my trumpet and wearing a big grin!