Gary Bertini
IsraelEarly Life and Education
Gary Bertini was born in 1927 in Brychava, Bessarabia (now Moldova), to a Jewish educator, poet, and translator father and a physician mother. He spent his early years in Soroca, but was forced into a ghetto in Transnistria during World War II. In 1946, Bertini immigrated to British Mandate Palestine (later Israel).
He studied at the Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv (1951) and continued his education at the conservatories in Milan (1946-47) and Paris (1954), where he was taught by Nadia Boulanger, Arthur Honegger, and Olivier Messiaen.
Conducting Career
Bertini founded the Israeli choir "Rinat" in 1955 and made his debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in the same year. He taught at the Tel Aviv Academy from 1955 to 1965, but subsequently focused on conducting.
In 1965, he established the Israeli Chamber Ensemble (later the Israeli Chamber Orchestra) and the Chamber Opera, which he led until 1975. From 1978 to 1986, he served as Chief Conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, elevating it to international prominence.
Throughout his career, Bertini guest conducted major orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (1959), the English Chamber Orchestra (1965), and the Scottish National Orchestra (1971-1981). He also held positions as Music Consultant of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (1981-1983), Chief Conductor of the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra (1983-1991), and Opera Director of the Frankfurt Opera (1987-1990).
Later, he became Artistic Director of the Rome Opera, Permanent Guest Conductor of the Paris Opera, Chief Conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (1998 onwards), and Opera Director of the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.
Repertoire and Legacy
Bertini's repertoire included major symphonic and oratorio works, such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Missa Solemnis, requiems by Mozart, Berlioz, Verdi, and Britten, Berlioz's "Damnation of Faust," and the complete works of Gustav Mahler. He also performed and recorded extensive 20th-century music by composers such as Darius Milhaud, Igor Stravinsky, and György Ligeti.
Bertini was an enthusiastic and successful advocate for Israeli music, giving numerous premieres and promoting it internationally. His significant contributions include the premieres of Mordechai Kopelman's "Voice of Memory," Moni Setter's "Tikkun Hatzot," and many symphonies by Ilan Tal.
His operatic repertoire ranged from baroque to contemporary works, including Handel's "Semele," Mozart's "Don Giovanni," Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov," Massenet's "Werther," and Tal's "Joseph."
Bertini's conducting style was marked by precision and impeccable sense of style. As a composer, he primarily worked in musical theater genres, creating music for over 30 ballets, plays, musicals, and films. He also wrote instrumental concertos and chamber works.
Honors and Awards
Bertini was Professor at Tel Aviv University (1976). He received the Israel Prize (1978), the Italian Order of Merit, and the French Order of Arts and Letters.
