For the first time, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic collaborated in joint concerts last month to mark 80 years since the conclusion of World War II.

There is a saying that as times and circumstances change, people also have the opportunity to change.Lahav Shani, the IPO’s dynamic, young conductor, who will take on the role of chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic in 2026, seized this period of national reconciliation between Germany and Israel to connect 40 members of his orchestra and 50 members of his future one for three special memorial concerts in Munich, Dortmund, and Dresden. 

"I think the performances were very successful,” said Yair Mashiach, secretary-general of the IPO. “The members of the two orchestras met, rehearsed, and performed together for the first time with Shani on the podium, showing the world they could collaborate and make music together.” 

The concerts were broadcast live over German TV and radio and can be viewed in Israel on the ARIA VOD library. The concert program featured Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.6 in A minor (The Tragic), composed between 1904 and 1906, as well as Prayer for String Orchestra by Israeli composer Tzvi Avni, written in 1969.

Tzvi Avni

Avni was born in Germany in 1927 and came to Israel at age eight with his family. He studied music and composition with Paul Ben-Haim, an associate of Bruno Walter and a contemporary of Mahler.
The Jerusalem Philharmonic Orchestra plays at the 2019 Pianos Festival. (credit: MEIR SHALEV)
The Jerusalem Philharmonic Orchestra plays at the 2019 Pianos Festival. (credit: MEIR SHALEV)
Today, Avni is one of Israel’s most distinguished composers, a recipient of the Israel Prize, and professor emeritus at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. His music is very much his own, and Prayer invokes rich, poignant ideas, a sense of vibrancy, and a variated tonal scape. 

“Now 97 years old, Avni traveled with the IPO to Germany, giving added distinction to the three commemorative concerts,” explained Mashiach. “I believe his presence, his sharing of memories of how he was saved from the Holocaust by coming to Israel, in addition to personal reflections on the message of his music, had a major impact on German audiences of all ages,” said Mashiach. 

“Mahler’s Symphony No. 6  is a major orchestral work and a fantastic memorial of how the composer viewed the world.” Although Mahler did not name his sixth symphonic work The Tragic, he did not disavow it. Perhaps this was his musical effort to explain the suffering he felt and the depth of human emotions. One may also find in this monumental work his expression of hope for a better, more peaceful, and tolerant world. 

“Music can be a bridge of historical, international significance,” added Mashiach. “The IPO has been invited to give concerts in Carnegie Hall in New York City in October and November 2025, thereby assuming the role of ‘ambassador of cultural happenings’ and promoting fellowship.”