A season to remember, from Muti’s valedictory to a lineup of stellar artists

Honoring the final season of Riccardo Muti as its music director, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra delivered spectacular performances in Chicago and on tour. Meanwhile, the Symphony Center Presents series welcomed world-renowned guests such as CSO Artist-in-Residence Hilary Hahn, roots-music icon Mavis Staples and the Berlin Philharmonic with chief conductor Kirill Petrenko. 

In addition, the CSO collaborated with legendary film composer-conductor John Williams, presented a joint concert with Chicago’s own Joffrey Ballet and gave the first Chicago performances of Julia Wolfe’s Her Story with the Lorelei Ensemble, to cite just a few highlights. Here are images of those many memorable moments, captured by photographers Todd Rosenberg,  Anne Ryan and Nuccio DiNuzzo, as the CSO family looks forward to another exceptional season.

1. Muti and Missa solemnis, June 23-24

For his last subscription concert as music director, Riccardo Muti chose Beethoven’s mighty Missa solemnis, which he has called “the Sistine Chapel of music — a work so complex that it makes every interpreter’s wrists tremble.” Leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, along with guest vocalists, Muti delivered “a stupendous performance,” declared Kyle MacMillan in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, one that “put an exclamation point on a dazzling era in the history of the CSO.” Adding to the sense of occasion, Muti was named Music Director Emeritus for Life after the run’s first concert on June 23. 

2. Jessie Montgomery’s Transfigure to Grace, May 11-16

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under Riccardo Muti, performed the world premiere of the CSO-commissioned Transfigure to Grace by CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery. It’s a reworking of her 2019 ballet Passage, created for the Dance Theatre of Harlem to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in the New World. In her Chicago Tribune review, critic Hannah Edgar wrote: “Grace made plain what Chicago audiences already know: Montgomery is behind some of the most idiomatic and irresistible string writing being penned right now.” 

3. Hilary Hahn, March 19

CSO Artist-in-Residence (and internationally acclaimed violinist) Hilary Hahn returned for several residencies this season, including a recital on the SCP Chamber Music series March 19, along with appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 8-10, under guest conductor Dalia Stasevska, and April 13-15, with Thomas Adès on the podium.

4. North American tour

In January, for their first outing since the pandemic, Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra embarked on a North American tour, with stops in Arizona, California, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri and Florida. Also on the itinerary were the CSO’s first concerts in Canada since 1976.

5. Berlin Philharmonic, Nov. 16

In its first local appearance since 2009, the Berlin Philharmonic returned to Chicago for an SCP Orchestra concert of Mahler’s Symphony No. 7, with Kirill Petrenko, its chief conductor since 2019, on the podium. In the Chicago Classical Review, critic Lawrence A. Johnson wrote: “Under the ebullient Petrenko’s high-energy direction, this was big and, especially, vivid Mahler. Rarely has the Seventh — or any Mahler symphony, for that matter — sounded more like a vast concerto for orchestra.”

6. Mavis Staples, Feb. 4

The Chicago-based gospel, soul, R&B and pop icon, now 83, returned to Orchestra Hall for an SCP Special Concert that delivered the explosive force of a performer still at her prime. For the Chicago Concert Review site, Andy Argyrakis wrote: “[The crowd] ultimately showered their praises upon simply the performer herself, not only for giving them so much substance and sustenance, but also out of sheer reverence for being in the presence of such a pioneer.” PBS recorded the concert, which is now available for streaming via WTTW Passport.

7. Her Story, Jan. 6-7

A CSO co-commission by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Julia Wolfe, Her Story captures the passion and perseverance of women marshaling the fight for representation and gender equality. Guest conductor Marin Alsop led the CSO and the Lorelei Ensemble in Wolfe’s 40-minute theatrical experience, written for orchestra and women’s vocal choir, that highlights a turbulent moment in American history.

8. Joffrey Ballet and the CSO, Nov. 10-12

The Chicago-based Joffrey Ballet joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Harry Bicket, for a special collaborative program with works by Rameau, Ravel and Wagner. Newly commissioned choreographies were set to Siegfried Idyll, Wagner’s birthday gift to his wife, and a suite from Rameau’s opera Platée, composed for a royal wedding at the Palace of Versailles and featuring a water nymph turned frog and its courtiers.

9. An Evening with John Williams, March 24

The dean of Hollywood film music, with five Oscars (and 53 nominations to date), John Williams led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in selections from his vast catalog of scores. The concert, part of the CSO at Movies series, proved to be so popular, it sold out weeks in advance. If you couldn’t land a ticket, his latest score is featured in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” now in theaters.

10. Negaunee Music Institute highlights

The Negaunee Music Institute, which connects the Chicago and the world to the resources of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, presents more than 30 public concerts each season. Under its umbrella are the CSO for Kids and Once Upon a Symphony concerts, the Notes for Peace program, the Youth in Music Festival and workshops for young instrumentalists, public school students/teachers and senior citizens.

But wait, there’s more ... 

Because the season’s best could not be contained to a list of just 10 highlights, here are additional moments, this time in chronological order.

Riccardo Muti’s 500th concert with the CSO, Sept. 27

In his final season as music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Riccardo Muti also marked another milestone: his 500th concert with the CSO. The occasion fell on the third performance of his season-opening program (Sept. 22-23 and 27) of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 with Yefim Bronfman, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 and the U.S. premiere of Coleridge-Taylor’s Solemn Prelude. As part of his fall residency, Muti also led the CSO in Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition, which was on the program when he made his CSO debut at the Ravinia Festival in 1973. 

Chucho Valdés, La Creación, Oct. 18

The dean of Afro-Cuban music returned to Orchestra Hall with a 13-piece band to present La Creación, a four-movement suite about the story of the Creation, from the perspective of the religion known as Santería. Of the work, a co-commission by SCP Jazz, the pianist-composer has said, “It represents the accumulation of all my experiences and everything I’ve learned in music. I think it’s my masterpiece — so far.”

Christian Thielemann and the CSO in Bruckner 8, Oct. 20-25

In his first appearance here since 1995, German conductor Christian Thielemann led the CSO in four rapturous performances of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8. It was raves all around, with the Chicago Classical Review calling the event “the most eagerly anticipated program of the current CSO season. ... Thielemann judged the ebb and flow of this music with uncommon skill, unfolding the long paragraphs with a seeming inevitability, as the ascent climbed higher and higher.”

Klaus Mäkelä and the CSO in Mahler 5, Feb. 16-18

At just 27, the very model of youthful exuberance, Finnish-born conductor Klaus Mäkelä has rapidly climbed the international citadels of classical music. Though he holds important posts in Oslo, Paris and Amsterdam, some remain skeptical. In her Chicago Tribune review, Hannah Edgar took on the unanswered question. “Mäkelä must be assessed on his own merits, not his age. His musicianship demands that respect, at a baseline. ... Here [in Mahler’s Fifth], Mäkelä did more than meet the occasion: He sailed over it.”

Maria Schneider Orchestra, March 10

Composer, bandleader and NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider made a highly anticipated appearance to showcase her latest work, Data Lords — a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a winner of two Grammy Awards and recipient of Jazz Album of the Year honors from the Jazz Journalists Association. If you missed the SCP Jazz concert, fear not: Schneider and her orchestra return July 23 as part of Ravinia’s Breaking Barriers, a festival that celebrates women composers in jazz and classical music.

Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, Bernard Labadie, March 30-April 4

For his Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut in 2019, Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas performed Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, standard fare for his instrument. This time, with the CSO under early-music specialist Bernard Labadie, the guitarist tackled Baroque-era works by Boccherini and Vivaldi. Later, at a reception hosted by the CSO Latino Alliance, Sáinz-Villegas gave his endorsement to an Orchestra Hall titan. When asked about his choice of a potential dream-list collaborator, he quickly replied: “Your guy, Riccardo Muti.”

Thomas Adès, Kirill Gerstein and the CSO, April 6-11

Long regarded as one of the compositional greats of his generation, Thomas Adès also conducts; he made his belated Orchestra Hall debut with a program of Liszt, Janáček and his own Piano Concerto, here featuring Kirill Gerstein (for whom it was written). Lawrence A. Johnson of the Chicago Classical Review lauded it as “a piano concerto for our time — edgy and unsentimental, yet fresh and exhilarating in its solo fireworks and subversive exuberance.” Just days later, Adès came to the CSO’s rescue when he agreed to substitute the following week for an ailing Mikko Franck.

Yo-Yo Ma, Carlos Miguel Prieto and the CSO, May 1

Superstar cellist, activist and goodwill ambassador Yo-Yo Ma joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Carlos Miguel Prieto, for a special, one-night-only concert anchored by Elgar’s Cello Concerto. The result was a genuine love fest. Chicago on the Aisle critic Lawrence B. Johnson described the scene: “Here was one of classical music’s genuine rock stars, rocked in turn by fans who had come not just to listen but to adore. Still, there was some question as to whether Ma would accommodate the standing, dare I say screaming, crowd with an encore — until Prieto, with a grand churning motion of his arm, urged a redoubling of the adulatory madness.” For the record, Ma compiled with an encore of Pablo Casals’ “Song of the Birds.”

Jakub Hrůša and the CSO in Mahler 9, June 8-10

The season brought a bounty of Mahler riches, with the Berlin Phil (Nov. 16) and Klaus Mäkelä (Feb. 16-18). But for many CSO regulars, the best was saved for last. Czech-born conductor Jakub Hrůša has burnished his already glowing reputation with performances in the world’s leading houses. He returned to Orchestra Hall to lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 9. “Interpretively, this was an estimable Mahler Ninth by any measure,” wrote Lawrence A. Johnson in the Chicago Classical Review. “Ultimately, it was the CSO’s night to shine in this intensely challenging score, and all musicians were at their considerable finest — as an ensemble, by section and individually.” 

‘Mission: Impossible’ encore, June 15-17

Though Lalo Schifrin’s Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra, featuring Principal Tuba Gene Pokorny as soloist, was the main attraction, a happy surprise was in store. Schifrin specifically wrote the concerto for Pokorny, who performed its premiere in 2018 and regularly advocates for the composer, best known for his film scores. One can imagine the genial Pokorny approaching Muti with the line: “Your mission, Maestro, should you decide to accept it, will be to perform an encore of the theme from ‘Mission: Impossible.’ ” Muti magnanimously accepted his assignment, and when the CSO and Pokorny broke into the theme’s distinctive first notes, the crowd went wild. And as a happy coda, neither Muti nor Pokorny self-destructed.