Chicago to deliver Muti’s Beethoven 9th (and more) for free

Leaping into the current fray of to stream or not to stream, Riccardo Muti has nailed his colours to the mast.

Chicago have just announced:

Taping for Worldwide Streaming of Beethoven’s Ninth

The concert on Thursday, September 18, will be videotaped and made available, at a date to be announced, free, on demand at cso.org, at RiccardoMutiMusic.com, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and on the websites of other media and music organizations around the world.

Other free goodies offered:

Free Concert for Chicago

Continuing a tradition that Muti began when he became music director in 2010—to offer a free CSO concert each year outside of Symphony Center—Muti and the Orchestra return for the third time to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. On Friday, September 19 at 6:30 p.m., the free Concert for Chicago features an all-Tchaikovsky program, including The Tempest, Op. 18, music from The Sleeping Beauty and Symphony No. 4.

In addition to the free Concert for Chicago, Muti will continue traditions he began in previous residencies for making classical music accessible to more people. As part of his longstanding commitment to perform for young people who are incarcerated, Muti will visit the Illinois Youth Center-Chicago with musicians from the CSO. Muti has visited similar facilities before; this is his first visit to this one.

Muti will also open a CSO rehearsal for no charge to select community groups and students by special invitation. Another rehearsal is open to the public: On Monday, September 29 at 7 p.m., Muti will lead a rehearsal of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a preprofessional training orchestra of young adult musicians that is part of the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. They will rehearse Liszt’s tone poem, Les préludes. Tickets are free but required, and a $2 per ticket service fee applies.

On Wednesday, September 24 at 7 p.m., Muti will conduct the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest in a rehearsal that is free and open to the public (tickets are not required) at the Dominican University Performing Arts Center in River Forest. They will rehearse Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration. CSO’s Principal Trombone Jay Friedman is the ensemble’s music director.