Zubin Mehta recommends the Australian World Orchestra’s Alexander Briger for a six-concert series.

Alexander Briger will become only the second Australian to conduct the Israel Philharmonic when he steps in for an ailing Christoph Dohnányi next month. The Australian World Orchestra’s Chief Conductor and Artistic Director has been asked to take over the six-concert programme by IPO Executive Avi Shoshani on the recommendation of Music Director For Life Zubin Mehta.

“It’s pretty phenomenal,” says Briger, speaking to Limelight fresh off the plane from the AWO’s concert tour to Singapore. “I’m so excited about it. The Israel Phil has such a huge name. Of course, the orchestra has this mystique about it, with Friends of the IPO all over the world, including here in Australia – people like Frank Lowy.”

Dohnányi, 87, who led an acclaimed programme of Brahms, Bruckner and Berg in Sydney earlier this year, has had to cancel several engagements in recent months and had been booked for a substantial tranche of concerts in Tel Aviv and Haifa. “It’s six concerts,” Briger explains. “They include Brahms’ First Symphony, Schubert’s Ninth and Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto with Paul Lewis – it’s a huge thing for me.”

In fact, Briger has...