Riccardo Muti at 80: The best
NewsSome unassailable video highlights of a life that hits 80 tonight.
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Marvellous to see the chap on cymbals in the BPO Forza clip (at 0.44) wearing… an MCC tie!!! Bloody marvellous. We can all die happy now.
After listening to Verdi’s Requiem one more time…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB4aPHJaxIg
13 thumbs down and I didn’t even know (until googling) what an MCC tie is.
Are they against Marylebone, against cricket, against clubs, against ties, or just the unique combination of all four coming together in a MCC tie?
The tastes and opinions of the readership on this site never cease to amaze me.
Or maybe they hate the idea of a member of the Berlin PO being a member of this English institution? Unclear which side of the culture war divide they are, but loonies anyway, for sure! I thought it was sweet and charming – not supposed to be triggering to either German or English nationalists!
He’s the greatest conductor I have ever worked for, and I’ve seen most of the greats of the last 40 years. We were in awe!
Boy, the man aged badly. looks like a Nosferatu with hair
But still the best hair in the business, along with V. Jurowski.
Nagano has great hair. I vote Nagano as best hair!
Erich Kleiber and Victor de Sabatta.
…and Kristjan Järvi, and myself.
Ann, it’s quite astonishing how much bad-tempered vitriol some contributors here feel they have to dish up about one of the greatest conductors it has been my privilege to see and hear live over many decades. He’s not alone either: Karajan and Eschenbach are always in the firing line here. There is no question that Muti returned the Philharmonia to its glory days in the late 1970s and made many fine recordings with them. Incidentally, at that time the Philharmonia had more women players than any other London orchestra so all this stuff and nonsense about him being against women is just that.
He’s not against women, he’s very much FOR them. They are necessary to him, “piu’ del pan che mangia, piu’ dell’aria che spira”.
The other Alexander understands this well enough! 🙂
I remember watching that Beethoven 5th performance live on local TV in Philly in the late 80s or early 90s. They used to broadcast a few concerts per season on one of the local affiliate stations. I’m guessing most or many of the Muti/Philly videos on Youtube are from that series.
Anyway, while I have always had plenty of respect for Muti, I would never call him “the best.” He’s too often interpretively boring, at least in orchestral music.
Enough of Muti ! Ugh
There’s also an impressive Dvorak Symphony No. 5 live performance that was once on YouTube …
In 1979, my wife, Abbie Conant, won the audition for the Maggio Musicale. Mr. Muti was the General Music Director of both the Maggio and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the time. He was in Philadelphia when the audition took place, so the orchestra’s administration telephoned him and told them they had found a trombonist. Muti told them there were already too many women in the orchestra and vetoed the audition results. So they hired the man who came in second at the audition, Jeff Haigh. Last week we had dinner with Lorenzo Rivai who was a hornist in the Maggio at the time. We reminisced about Muti’s unfortunate actions. I trust he has learned something over the years. Muti’s decision was only one of many tribulations my wife was to face as a woman trombonist.
Politics everywhere!! Not a day, not a one line without mixing music with politics! A shame!
Muti has not learned anything, especially with respect to women.
As far as birthday gifts go, Jeff Alexander has presented the one Muti desired: the confirmation of the very special fringe benefits which will even follow Muti on the winter Asian tour.
“…who will even follow” etc.
Watch your grammar 😉
Eugene Ormandy did not step down from being Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra until 1980 and it was only then that Muti became his successor.
Ture, but this was in August of 1979. He was already working regularly with the orchestra and that is why he was in Philadelphia.
It could have also been in July 1979, which might be more likely. After 42 years, I can’t remember the exact date. Muti was appointed Music Director in Philly in 1979, and started the position in 1980. In Florence in the summer of ’79, they thus already spoke of him as the MD in Philly.
Eugene Ormandy did not step down from being the Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra until 1980 and it was only then that Muti became his successor.
Eugene Ormandy did not step down from his role of Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra until 1980 and this was when Muti became his successor.
This had to be said 3x?
Muti does not give a damn about auditions. An Asian oboist won the audition in Chicago, but Muti vetoed him and forced his own caucasian Philly-sourced candidate down the audition commitee throat.
To be fair, there is no evidence of him labeling the Asian oboist “the Chinaman”.
I don’t know where you get your information, but this is obviously not true. Nobody gets hired for the CSO without a super-majority vote of the committee, before discussion or comments from the Music Director, whoever he (or maybe someday she) is.
FWIW, the CSO has 18 Asian members.
There is the episode in Philadelphia when he overrode the audition committee and hired an 18 y.o. cellist whose very wealthy parents bought the position. After Muti left the cellist left as well.
Not to forget…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjsOAunKIhA
None of your videos include anything with the CSO.
And therein lies the problem.
His best work was done long ago with other orchestras, so why is the CSO hanging onto him like a lost puppy, all Chicago audiences is getting is The Best of Muti … 3 decades late.
Wouldn’t say so.
https://slippedisc.com/2020/01/who-owns-babi-yar-not-the-russians/
The Godfather has a Queen fetish.
Look closely at the second video, to the side of the piano, here goes again the picture of Muti with the Queen that he keeps bragging about. That is, he has it in his private Ravenna studio.
He has the same picture in his Chicago office. His Majesty should be concerned!
“His Majesty should be concerned!”
– Her Majesty!
The irresistible attraction of a woman whose no means no, even to him?
I find that rather sweet.
Would you prefer him to pin-up Meghan instead?
Maybe it’s more than a fetish.
Maybe there’s an heir to the throne running around the streets of London with a thick mop of black hair.
earlier, someone was writing about ‘fringe benefits’…
What about his picture with Putin?
It would look nice right next to the Queen
Big fan of Muti and send him every best wish for his 80th….but could have done without seeing the Nazi, Kurt Waldheim occupying the beginning of the Mozart Requiem; just ruins it.
A cautionary tale of all os uf as we make our final plans. John McCain got that right.
I believe there is no compelling evidence about Waldheim having commited criminal acts during WWII. His continued lying about it during later decades, however, was deplorable and most counterproductive. (I believe that Karajan’s attitude about his past may have been far worse than his actions in the 1930s and 40s, but let’s not go down that rabbit hole again.)
The performance of the Mozart Requiem is deeply moving.
The Lilliputian commenters here are not worthy to hold Muti’s jockstrap.
Sounds like you’ve held Muti’s jockstrap.
Were you fulfilled?
Muti does not wear a jockstrap. Rumor has it, not much to hold there anymore …
Like a Chinaman?
If you look at the beethoven coriolan video
Some of the audience are busy talking and laughing.
Let’s set the record straight here. Maestro Muti is, without question, one of the most talented, important and accomplished conductors to have ever lived. His concerts in Chicago are exquisite and consistently bring in the largest audiences, which is saying a lot, as attendance here is very strong.
The comments about Jeff Alexander by “CSOA Insider” are libelous. From what I have heard from musicians, staff and board members and observed first hand, he is extremely talented, dedicated, intelligent, passionate about the art form, diplomatic, above board and honest. Perhaps CSOA Insider can muster the courage to talk with him directly regarding his or her concerns, and discover the truth.
Trump draws massive audiences.
He’s still an asshole.
And your failed syllogism underscores a lost opportunity for silence
I encourage you to complain with the CSO corporate sponsors. Have them talk to Alexander and “discover the truth”. Then see how supportive they are.
I will accept he is a good conductor, although CSO musicians indicate he is mendacious. As a person he does not belong on a pedestal, I have seen 2 incidents at CSO that show him in a poor light. I wish we could have Barenboim back, he is Muti’s equal as a conductor and his superior as a human being.
Mendacious, yes.
“I am so grateful to my wife. Family is everything.”
The Pope is a better human being than Riccardo Muti, and surely more devote, yet every single time I would choose to listen to a Mozart’s Requiem conducted by latter which would give me a high sense of spirituality that is totally unrelated to Muti’s worth as human being. Judging an artist with the parameters of moralism is extremely miopic. Moreover the many who claim that Muti is both a horrible human being and a mediocre musician seem to be completely unaware of the logical inconsistency of their position in relation to the level of success Muti has had in his career. Why would anyone excuse such a vile behavior as that attributed to him by the know-it-all in here (although always in the form of vague innuendoes) if he was a musical mediocrity?
Barenboim could not wait to get out of Chicago. Now he conducts and opera orchestra.
His best legacy is the Cherubini series of recordings. I am also happy that he revived La Vestale, even though the results weren’t exactly that good.
He’s OK in the standard repertoire, but many have done it better; much better.
Big plus for appreciating the intelligence of the donkeys.
ATTENTION: This just out.
With the drought hitting many parts of the USA and water hard to find, Muti is considering retiring as it may be difficult to slick back his hair especially on a tour to the West Coast.
Christoph Eschenbach, in an effort to save the day, has offered the name of his barber who can work wonders.
Myung Wha Chung has not called or texted Muti. It’s unclear why.
He uses Prosecco and home-grown olive oil with a drop of Aceto balsamico to do his hair.
I recall reading a comment by a principal player in the VPO indicating that RM took every repeat in the Mozart 40th or 41st dragging it out to nearly 45 minutes merely because he could.
If that’s what Mozart put down…
Those are two works that deserve every repeat.
And in No 40 Britten’s Decca recording has them all as well
I guess Muti is great if you’re a huge fan of Italian classical music. I’m a fan, but not a HUGE fan. Let’s review. Muti’s Haydn
and Mozart? . . . Generally good, particularly the Da Ponte operas. Beethoven? . . good but nothing special. Brahms? . . . the same. Schumann? . . . yes, quite good. He recorded the symphonies twice. It would be nice if he ventured into the lesser known Schumann works. Wagner? . . . zero Wagner that I know of. Bruckner? . . . generally good, but also a tad slick sounding – lacking in rustic Austrian dirt under the finger nails. Mahler? . . . Muti performs very little Mahler. Too bad, because he seems to be good at it. Vienna Second School (Schoenberg, Berg and Webern) ? . . . none that I know of. Berlioz/Debussy/Ravel? . . . He should do more of the French rep., as he’s quite good at it. Tchaikovsky? . . . yes, he’s quite good at Tchaik’. He’s one of the few who have made a really strong recording of the “Manfred” Symphony. Prokofiev? . . . He should do more. His recordings of the 3rd and 5th symphonies, “Romeo & Juliet” Ballet and “Ivan The Terrible” are all quite good. Shostakovich? . . . Very little. He’s recorded the 13th Symphony and the rare “Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti” in Chicago. Both are very good. He also recorded a rather forgettable Shost’y #5 in Philadelphia. Scriabin? . . . yes, his set of the Scriabin symphonies is truly first rate. More modern stuff? . . . no one cares. Latin American composers, including Villa-Lobos . . . None. Zilch. Nada. Gershwin/Bernstein/Copland/Ives/ the various New England school of composers? . . . None. Nada, zilch, nichts. Zero.
As for the Italians. . . . yes, of course he’s excellent with Italian music, especially Verdi. However, for the most part, his Puccini has been nothing to write home about (that I know of). That said; THAT SAID, he did record a really nice “Tosca” with Carol Vaness on Philips that fell way under the radar. It boasted superb playing from the Philadelphia Orchestra in very good sound quality. I think it’s a sleeper. It’s also nice that he’s paid attention to the more serious compositions of Nina Rota.