Riccardo Muti is back on the beat

He’s conducting the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra in his home town Ravenna on the next two Sundays.

You can catch the stream here.

‘In March, when the first lockdown happened, we musicians of the Cherubini Youth Orchestra felt as if our whole world was falling apart,’ said concertmaster Valentina Benfenati, 24. ‘In the following months, though, we have found new courage, strength, hope, because thanks to the Ravenna Festival and Maestro Muti we have been able to keep working, putting our efforts into music which is our passion but also our job. Already this summer, we faced the complex challenge of playing in a social-distanced orchestra; now we must learn to cross the distance between us and the audience through imagination. Fortunately, the rehearsals with Maestro Muti are never just in preparation for the concert: every rehearsal is also a most valuable lesson about how to work within the orchestra, and about what we play and why we play it. Once again, we realise how working in the Cherubini Orchestra and with Maestro can make the difference.’