composer conductor music educator
Gary Bertini was born Shloyme Golergant in Bricheva, Bessarabia, then in Romania, now in Donduşeni District, Moldova. His father, K. A. Bertini (Aron Golergant), was a poet and translator of the Russian (Leonid Andereyev) and Yiddish (ASutzkever, H Leivick) literature into Hebrew, and of the Hebrew works into Yiddish. His mother Berta Golergant was a physician and biologist.
After the end of the Second World War, he began studying at the Milan Conservatoire (1946-7); shortly afterwards, he made “aliyah” to Eretz Israel. There he studied at the Music Teachers’ College in Tel Aviv (1949-50) as well as with the composer Mordecai Seter, with whom he developed a close friendship. From 1951-1954, he studied composition and conducting at the Conservatoire de Paris, as well as at the Sorbonne with Nadia Boulanger, Jacques Chailley, Arthur Honegger and Olivier Messiaen.
Upon returning to Israel, Gary Bertini established Rinat (the Israel Chamber Choir) in 1955. He was musical advisor to the Batsheva Dance Company and composed incidental music for numerous productions of Habima, the Israel national theater, and the Cameri Theatre. He founded the Israel Chamber Orchestra in 1965 and was its conductor until 1975. He was the music director of the Israeli opera between the years 1988-1997.
Bertini was conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra from 1978 to 1986. He was also the artistic director of the Israeli Opera from 1988 to 1997. He promoted Israeli music and helped shape it.
Bertini's work also took him outside Israel. He was music advisor to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1981 to 1983 and the Principal Conductor of the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1983 until 1991. He also served as general music director of the Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt from 1987 to 1990, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra from 1998 to 2005, and, just before he died, director of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. He also worked as a guest conductor with the Hamburg State Opera, Scottish Opera, La Scala, Opéra National de Paris, and the Berlin Philharmonic among other organizations.[2]
In Israel, he is remembered, among other things, as the founder of several leading ensembles – including Israel’s first professional choir Rinat, the Israel Chamber Ensemble (now the Israel Chamber Orchestra) and the New Israeli Opera; as the director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra IBA; and as a leading performer of Israeli music.
Served in Israeli Defense Forces from 1948 till 1949. He als wa a Member of Israel League Composers.
Married Rosette Berengole, October 21, 1956. Children: Orit, Michal.
