Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: Feb. 23, Zubin Mehta conducting in Suntory Hall -- Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21 (Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827); Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major "Romantic" (Josef Anton Bruckner, 1824-96)

Feb. 24, Zubin Mehta conducting in Suntory Hall -- "Scheherazade," Op. 35 (Nikolai Andreievich Rimsky-Korsakov, 1844-1908); Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 "Revolutionary" (Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich, 1906-75)

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta presented 10 performances during 11 busy days in Japan recently.

The IPO has visited Japan many times (my count is 14) in the four decades since its first appearance here in 1960. That was just one year before Mehta himself made his first enormously successful appearance at age 25 with the orchestra he was later to serve as music adviser, then music director. This is the 30th year of that association, a continuing relationship which has outlasted his lengthy tenures with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic combined.

As one of an elite handful of super conductors, Mehta has the prerogative of appearing with virtually any orchestra or opera company in the world. Indeed, that can become a problem. This season, in order to give himself some personal time for breathing room, he decided to cancel a week of conducting -- his engagement with the Berlin Philharmonic. It boggles the mind. I wouldn't cancel a date with the celebrated German orchestra even for my own funeral.

Exuberant, effulgent and eloquent, in the words of lexicographer Nicolas Slonimsky, Mehta is intensely passionate in his beliefs and loyal to his friends. Throughout his career, he has steadfastly espoused the freedom from human bias of the art of music. It took a full three decades, but eventually he persuaded even the passionately prejudiced Israelis to perform the music of Wagner and Strauss, composers whom the less enlightened had long felt reflected a political regime despicable to them.

This year's tour programs were carefully designed to outline the orchestra's catholic body of repertoire, German and non-German (in this case Russian), and Mehta's own predilection for the entire range of the romantic period. That period is universally thought to begin with Beethoven, whose first symphony, deceptively cast in the key of C Major, makes a dramatic break with the past.

Mehta is so well known for the big dramatic works he does so well that many don't realize he has a solid grounding in the early romantic repertoire as well, courtesy of his intensive training in the Vienna conservatory. With sure tempos and singing lines, the Beethoven sounded polished and persuasive, alternately neat and strong, expressive and graceful.

Bruckner's Romantic symphony is not the culmination of the romantic (many consider that honor to belong to Mahler), but he mirrors Beethoven in writing elemental, timeless music which stands outside his own period. This is the kind of music in which Mehta shines.

Using his baton constantly to show the natural, singing line of the music, he avoided heaviness in the punctuations yet drew impressive block sonorities from the sections. It was enervating, captivating, putting the audience under the spell of the music, and of the fine playing of many of the section principals all through the lengthy work.

Even though patience is an unheralded quality in a great conductor, Mehta is a patient orchestra builder. He has built the IPO by patiently waiting until he could replace retiring players with the best available talent. Being expressive is essential to art, that's correct, but it is properly based on a secure foundation of sure technique. With each visit, the IPO has seemed to sound yet better again, still more controlled, sure and elegant.

Rimsky-Korsakov's symphonic poem Scheherazade is a sumptuously colored orchestration of the romantic fairy tale, with ingenious characterizations of rolling seas, lively dances and the beguiling storyteller Scheherazade herself. It is full of tricky technical traps for the conductor, but one would never know it to see the seamless gestique.

Mehta, rested from the day before, poured much energy into the large architectural arc of the organic structure, encouraging the players to an abundance of exuberance and larger-than-life drama. Occasionally I wished for a more beautiful tone from the orchestra, for sound is the starting point of music. Delicate effects in striking combinations such as the diaphanous chords played by a quartet of contrabasses worked wonderfully though, and the elasticity of line and syrupy, silken sheen of the strings were especially lovely.

Mehta is renowned for his phenomenal ability to conduct virtually any work from memory. This not withstanding, he had a score on the stand to conduct the Shostakovich fifth, the composer's most popular symphony, and he turned the pages. When asked about it, he said that he has seldom conducted this work and he has been so busy that he just didn't have the time to put it into his head.

He may not have conducted it often, and he may have been concerned about giving it the preparation he wished, but by any measure this was an outstanding performance of the Shostakovich. Here the special Mehta energies worked to perfection. In the slow, angular introduction I was immediately struck by the peace of the piece, the underlying excitement, the beauty of the sonorities and the irresistible momentum. The IPO wrought a depth of character from the black notes on the white pages that was stunning.

It is true the orchestra seemed not to have played it very often, for my ear picked up more than one stray note from the strings. Never mind though, such thrilling playing was more than ample compensation. It was altogether unforgettable -- unforgettable and provocative. If Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic perform Shostakovich so well, one has to wonder, why don't they do more of this music?