When Star Trek and M*A*S*H* Meet at Israel Philharmonic Gala
Alan Alda Image by Karen Leon
What a surprise to see Leonard Nimoy — “Star Trek”’s ever logical Mr. Spock — beamed onto Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully’s Hall’s stage to the strains of John “Williams’ theme for “Schindler’s List” at the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s October 29th benefit. Nimoy set forth the IPO’s remarkable evolution from its 1933 nascence in Palestine — including violinist Bronislaw Huberman’s vision to bring Jewish musicians from Europe to safety — to its present world-class prominence.
Addressing the nearly 500 strong multi-generational audience as “our partners” AFIPO president David Hirsch cheerfully declared: “Our orchestra is getting younger—unique for orchestras. It is our gift to the next generation—a modern day miracle [the IPO] educates 30M Israeli children each year.”
Under the animated baton and bow of violinist/ conductor Julian Rachlin, the IPO’s streamlined string section — including a lute — launched the stellar evening with the orchestra on its feet performing a stirring version of “The Star Spangled Banner” followed by a spine tingling “Hatikvah” with members of the audience joining in singing both anthems.
Alan Alda Image by Karen Leon
Another joy was actor, writer, director Alan Alda who prefaced each of the seasonal movements of the evening’s centerpiece work — Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” Op. 8 — with a reading from an appropriate poem selected by Mr. Rachlin: Lord Tennyson’s “Spring” as lead-in for Vivaldi’s “Spring;” William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ prefaced “Summer;” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Autumn Feelings” introduced “Fall,” and Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” with its mnemonically resonating final lines : “…and miles to go before I sleep” imaged “Winter.” . The IPO’s audience-pleasing encores included George Gershwin’s “The Man I Love” with a tempo that hinted at a Ginger Rogers/ Fred Astaire cinema dance duet.
At the sumptuous post-concert buffet party, chatted with Vilnius-born conductor Rachlin with whom I exchanged the first two lines of the Lithuanian national anthem. Rachlin laughed…That’s about all the Lithuanian he remembered.
Among the guests at the event — which was underwritten by Emily and Eugene Grant were benefactors Ingeborg and Ira Rennert, Rita and Charles Bronfman, Lauren and John Veronis.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
