Riccardo Muti mourns a critic
mainThe music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has issued the following statement:
‘I am very sorry to learn of the passing of Andrew Patner this morning. I had enormous respect for him as a man of great culture and deep humanity. We had a sincere friendship and his death is a tragic loss to the cultural life of Chicago. My profound condolences to all his family and friends.’
Salzburg, summer 2011
The CSO adds: ‘The entire Chicago Symphony Orchestra family expresses its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of longtime Chicago journalist Andrew Patner. A regular and welcome presence at CSO concerts here at home and around the world, Andrew had a unique way of communicating his deep knowledge and passion for classical music to audiences of all ages and walks of life, creating new fans for this art form. He was a champion for all arts in his beloved Chicago, and his voice – both on the air and off – will be sorely missed.’
Very nice of him. It also appears that they were indeed friends. As you, Norman said in an interview he gave you (an excellent interview, by the way), Muti WAS ” media-shy ” until that interview, and all the interviews he gave in Chicago to Andrew. It was very enlightening to hear the real voice behind the silly caricature of Muti as ” the monster of Milan .”
I started to follow the work of Andrew from Israel, through these interviews. I found him just too critical in order not to listen. Also, he did not shut up his mouth apropos the horrible ” past ” of the Vienna Orchestra (even considering the relationship of Muti with that orchestra- that said for the benefit of these two men). I was touched mostly by his honesty; i.e., when, pertinent to the suicide of the famous comedian, he was candid enough to share the fact of his own chronic depression, if only in order to urge people to get help; noting that there are some good solutions in current medicine. Not something that you hear very often, from one who had no interest in this kind of disclosure.