Classical Californians: Nir Kabaretti

Paul Wellman

This week’s Classical Californian is Nir Kabaretti, Music and Artistic Director of the Santa Barbara Symphony. His musical selections are performances by some of the great conductors he was able to meet and work with as a student, as well as a few memorable moments from his Southern Californian experiences. There are works by Brahms, Dvorak, Debussy, Kevin Puts, as well music commissioned for the Santa Barbara Symphony's 60th anniversary.

He begins with movement from the Symphony No. 2 of Brahms, led by Zubin Mehta, who gave him an opportunity to conduct part of a rehearsal of the piece when he was a student...

Then it's on to another star conductor that he had a chance to meet (if not work with) at a rehearsal: Leonard Bernstein, who was recording the Dvorak Cello Concerto with soloist Mischa Maisky and the Israel Philharmonic.

Next, a serendipitous set of circumstances led him to take part in the preparation for this recording, of Debussy's Nocturnes, the movement called Sirènes, with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Loren Maazel.

Up next is a movement of the Concerto Grosso that composer Jonathan Leshnoff was commissioned to write to celebrate the players of the Santa Barbara Symphony in its 60th anniversary year.

The final track is from the Grammy winning recording made by the string playing (and occasionally singing) ensemble Time for 3, with a movement from the concerto called Contact that was written for them by Kevin Puts. (The ensemble performed the piece last October with Nir Kabaretti conducting the Santa Barbara Symphony - here it's the Philadelphia Orchestra with Xian Zhang conducting).