Search - Gustav Mahler, Paul Kletzki, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra :: Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 9

Considered one of the best orchestras in the world, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was founded (as "Palestine Orchestra") in 1936 by great Jewish-Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman, primarily to save Jewish musicians from the growing Nazi menace in Europe. The inaugural concert, on December 26, 1936, was conducted by the famed Arturo Toscanini. Nicknamed "Orchestra of Soloists," it was renamed the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1948 soon after Israel became independent. In addition to Paul Kletzki, two other great conductors became closely associated with the IPO: Leonard Bernstein and Zubin Mehta. Over the past sixty years it has been featured on many recordings with the Columbia, Decca-London, DGG, and CBS labels. Polish-born conductor Paul Kletzki (1900-1973) was well known for his great flair for romantic music, resulting in many magnificent performances and recordings, particularly of Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Berlioz, Schubert, Schumann, Sibelius, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, and Schoenberg; and for his collaboration in concerts and recordings with many of the greatest soloists of the twentieth century. His conducting style was compared with that of Furtwängler. At the outbreak of World War II he settled in Switzerland and eventually became a Swiss citizen. After the war he toured widely in North and South America, Australia, and Israel. Kletzi's close association with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra resulted in several monumental recordings for the British Columbia and HMV labels. He collapsed and died while rehearsing with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.