Though I saw him conduct several times, I never had the chance to see him conduct as he left LA for the NY Phil in 1978, before the LA Opera came into being.

Nevertheless, his frequent telecasts with the NY Phil regularly included vocal and operatic excerpts. His career included major opera work, starting with his debut at the Met in 1965 (at only 29!) with Aida. Critic Alan Rich wrote:

“Mehta brought to the conducting of the score a kind of bedazzlement that has no peer in recent times … It was a lunging, teeming, breathless performance that still had plenty of breath.”

But it was another opera that has made him famous – and fortunately, it was recorded multiple times: the 1965 broadcast of Turandot with Nilsson, Corelli, and Freni was chosen last year as the Listener’s Choice (and can be found on YT). Three decades later, he conducted a special performance at the Forbidden City in Beijing in collaboration with Chinese film director Zhang Himou. There are also videos of other productions available including one at La Scala.

However, his greatest triumph in the opera was a performance that was never seen, as it was only done for a recording in 1973 with a “dream cast” that could only be imagined in the studio. With a Calaf that had not performed the role yet and a Turandot who was more famous for her Lucia doing the role for the first (and only) time, the Pavarotti/Sutherland Turandot (along with Caballé’s Liu) was one for the ages and an essential opera recording.