Riccardo Muti Brings Verdi’s Nabucco to Italian Opera Academy at Milan’s Prada Foundation

From Dec. 4-15, Riccardo Muti partnered for the first time with the Prada Foundation to present the seventh edition of the Italian Opera Academy at the Foundation’s headquarters in Milan, Italy. The collaboration offered an opportunity to strengthen a connection with young artists engaged in learning and research, providing them with unique access to tools for artistic and personal growth.

Commenting on this year’s partnership with the Academy, legendary Italian fashion designer Miuccia Prada said, “Thanks to this collaboration with Riccardo Muti and his Academy, the Foundation has become for 11 days a place of musical research and cultural study not only for the 10 young talents who have worked closely with the Maestro, but for hundreds of enthusiasts and students who, by participating in the sessions, were able to grasp the importance and richness of his teachings. His deep passion and generosity towards the new generations have strengthened our conviction to also consider classical music as one of the fundamental cultural expressions for our lives, but above all an engaging and attractive tool for the intellectual growth of the young.”

For this year’s Academy, Muti, the Zell Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, focused on Verdi’s third opera Nabucco. Notably, Muti has led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the Overture to Nabucco on more than 20 occasions during his tenure as music director, including international tour performances in Asia and Europe, as well as in 2017 subscription concerts that were recorded and ultimately released on the CSO Resound Italian Masterworks recording.

Beginning on Dec. 4, with his presentation about the opera at the piano, Muti went on to work in the Foundation’s unique large venue, the Deposito, with a group of promising young international conductors including Giuseppe Famularo (Italy), Henry Kennedy (UK), Elinor Rufeizen (Israel), Cristian Spătaru (Romania) and Sījié Wu (Taiwan), as well as five Italian pianists who were selected to participate in the Academy’s training for répétiteurs.

Audiences were invited to observe rehearsals and working sessions with the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra, Cremona Antiqua chorus and distinguished soloists as well as two concert performances of Nabucco. The first, on Dec. 14, was led by Maestro Muti; for the second, on Dec. 15, Muti was joined by the young conductors. Featured soloists for the performances included baritone Serban Vasile (Nabucodonosor), tenor Azer Zada ​​(Ismaele), bass Riccardo Zanellato (Zaccaria) — familiar to CSO audiences from his 2017 performances of Boito’s Prologue to Mefistofele and Italian Masterworks recording — soprano Gabrielle Mouhlen (Abigaille), mezzo-soprano Francesca Di Sauro (Fenena), bass Andrea Vittorio De Campo (High Priest of Baal) , tenor Giacomo Leone (Abdallo) and soprano Vittoria Magnarello (Anna).

The opening performance on Dec. 14 was attended by Miuccia Prada and the Foundation’s senior leadership as well as cultural and civic leaders including Italy’s Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini and the Minister of Education Patrizio Bianchi, the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala, the Councilor for Culture of the Municipality of Milan Tommaso Sacchi and the Secretary General of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities Salvatore Nastasi.

Muti established the Italian Opera Academy in 2015, going on to host the Academy regularly in Italy, as well as two times in Japan in collaboration with the Spring Festival of Tokyo. More information about the Italian Opera Academy is available at Riccardomutioperacademy.com.