125 Moments: 063 Riccardo Muti’s Return

In September 2007 — after an absence of 32 years — Riccardo Muti returned to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra podium for a monthlong residency. On September 14 and 16, 2007, he led the Orchestra’s first subscription concerts of the 117th season, conducting Prokofiev’s Third Symphony, Falla’s Suite no. 2 from The Three-Cornered Hat and Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole and Boléro. The Opening Night Gala, given on September 15, featured Verdi’s Overture to La forza del destino; soprano Barbara Frittoli in arias by Cilea, Puccini and Verdi; as well as the works by Falla and Ravel.

In the Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein called Muti and the Orchestra, “perfect together. . . . To judge from the magnificently committed playing the Orchestra gave Muti, from the first crunching chords of Prokofiev’s Symphony no. 3 on Friday through the cataclysmic ending of Ravel’s Boléro (which concluded both programs), the rapport between him and these virtuoso musicians seemed almost instantaneous, as if both parties already knew everything there was to know about each other. Neither from Muti’s confident command on the podium or from the full-throttle playing of the CSO did one get the sense that he and the Orchestra were tap-dancing around each other. The mutual understanding was there. All that remained for them was to make beautiful, life-affirming music together.”

The second week of subscription concerts featured Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, Hindemith’s Suite from Nobilissima visione, and Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy. Of the second week, von Rhein wrote, “We need to bring back Muti regularly, even if management does not succeed in persuading him to accept a formal title with the CSO. Through their brilliant, exceptionally committed playing, the Orchestra members have made it clear they wish the relationship to continue and, indeed, deepen.”

Following the concerts in Chicago, Muti led the Orchestra on a seven-city, nine-concert European tour to England, France, Germany and a return to Italy for the first time in more than 25 years that included debut performances in Rome, Turin and Verona.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra: 125 Moments was created to celebrate the ensemble’s 125th season in 2015-16 and gathered significant events, illustrated with imagery and artifacts from the collections of the Rosenthal Archives.

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