Why Muti chose Missa solemnis for his finale as CSO music director

The programming of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis was not part of a grand plan for Riccardo Muti’s valedictory season as Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director. “This decision should not be taken as an act of arrogance,” he said of his upcoming performances June 23-25 of Beethoven’s great choral work. “I retire and then Missa solemnis. It’s not that.”

Muti will lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, along with guest vocalists, in closing concerts of the 2022-23 season, his last as music director. Donald Palumbo, chorus master of the Metropolitan Opera, is preparing the chorus here; the guest vocalists are soprano Erin Morley, mezzo-soprano Alisa Kolosova, tenor Giovanni Sala and bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen.

The presentation of the 90-minute mass, written in 1819-23, around the time of the composer’s Ninth Symphony, was a product of happenstance. After putting it off for nearly his entire career because he didn’t think he was ready to take on the challenging work, he finally scheduled his first performances for 2020-21, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, as part of the worldwide Beethoven 250 celebration.

“I said, ‘I’ve studied this piece now. It’s better that I try to do this piece before I die. For 50 years, I didn’t have the courage, so I thought, let’s try.’ ”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, those concerts had to be canceled. Muti wound up leading Missa solemnis for the first time in August 2021 with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival. Those concerts also marked his 50th season of guest conducting the acclaimed European orchestra.

Since the presentation of the mass was originally scheduled for Chicago, and he had already done all the necessary preparation, Muti decided it should conclude his tenure as CSO music director.

“Now that I have the piece in hand,” he said, “let’s do it in Chicago.”