Muti will tour Chicago world premiere around the US
Orchestraspress release:
CHICAGO – Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) on a six-city, eight-concert U.S. tour (January 14–24, 2025) that marks their first domestic tour together since January 2023. Muti, the Orchestra’s distinguished 10th music director from 2010 until 2023, became Music Director Emeritus for Life at the beginning of the 2023/24 Season. Muti is in Chicago through November 9 for CSO subscription concerts that include the world premiere performances of the CSO-commissioned Megalopolis Suite, by Osvaldo Golijov, a former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence from 2006 to 2010. Created from the score for the 2024 Francis Ford Coppola film Megalopolis, the new suite will also be performed in concerts that open and close the U.S. tour on January 14 in Naples, Florida and January 24 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
So which cities will the CSO tour? Not obvious from their web page. The info may be hidden somewhere, but it is not easy to find.
https://cso.org/search/?q=Tour
Not much “around the US” to it. According to schedules, the Golijov will be performed exactly twice, at the first (Naples FL) and last (Stillwater OK) tour dates.
I’m waiting to see what Chicagorat has to say about this.
The Elvis of classical music…The CSO should have never let him leave…
Lucky he is in good health at his age.
Here is a bit of that music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKWjQTv3wes&list=PLxA687tYuMWiFFHK4Wz7okrP5UJ-bRE6A
The usual commercial stuff – apart from some slow episodes. Many people will be happy, no doubt.
Apparently Coppola plans to attend the Chicago concerts.
oh yes, yes Nancy Malitz!!
Surely Muti knows how to pick his friends! Gergiev. Depardieu … wouldn’t you agree?
From Variety magazine on Coppola: ‘The celebrations were somewhat compromised, however, by mixed reviews for the film itself, as well as a Guardian report that alleged “chaotic behavior” on the set of “Megalopolis,” including the “Godfather” director reportedly “pulling women to sit on his lap” and “trying to kiss some of the topless and scantily-clad female extras.’
https://variety.com/2024/film/news/francis-ford-coppola-responds-allegations-inappropriate-behavior-megalopolis-1236027716/
Is Depardieu also coming for the party?
We look forward to reading your objective review Nancy!!
Muti is not a metoo supporter. My guts say Coppola isn’t either.
Well Mr. Hunter, may I call you Lothario? Now that Muti is not music director anymore, we were hoping that you finally managed to find the courage to openly discuss all these oblique allegations you have been making for years about a certain jungle activities involving him. We thought it was your interest to at least show that they were not complete fabrications. Am I correct in assuming that you haven’t found that courage yet, even when hiding behind an anonymous nick?
The premiere of the Golijov suite is today (Nov 7) in Urbana, Illinois, and not later in Chicago as stated.
You don’t say.
My cat is still rattled by the election so I don’t have a lot of time.
Yes, the Bill Clinton of classical music has a penchant for “bringing gifts” to other US cities. Here are excerpts from a review of his Philadelphia Verdi Requiem concert from a couple of weeks ago, published on Bachtrack and titled “Requiem for a heavyweight: Riccardo Muti in Philadelphia”, a performance that was rated two stars out of five
(https://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-philadelphia-orchestra-riccardo-muti-verdi-requiem-october-2024)
“Don’t meet your heroes, Flaubert once cautioned – they often have feet made of clay. […]
.. although Muti has lived with this work for decades and has a thorough pedigree as an opera conductor, the performance lacked a sense of musical variation and narrative drive ..
… The orchestral musicians played consistently well for Muti, though he seemed intent on goading them to keep things loud and fast…
… Muti’s preferred dynamics sacrificed the emotional core of the work for a few thrilling moments …
…With the orchestra and chorus essentially operating at one speed throughout the performance, the progression of the work lacked a total impact …
…As a performance […] it felt as if we were laying flowers at feet of clay…”
Sales for the Stallion’s concerts in Chicago on Nov. 8 and 9 are an embarrassment, just like the program he picked.
You’d do better to pamper your cat.
Wasn’t the film a Mega-flopolis?
yes. Coppola spent $120m of his own money to make it. Box office revenue was $13m worldwide and critic consensus was that the movie is garbage.
Another smart CSO choice / bet.
Go Chicago
It is certainly possible for good music to be attached to a mediocre film (or theatre piece).
At least he made it. Was probably too old for it but pursued his dream. What kind of dwarfs are we , what have we accomplished to be entitled to this kind of critic? Such poor times giving lessons to golden age….
What’s with the inferiority complex. People can criticize a movie director without you calling them names.
Sure, but criticizing is different tnan mentioning negative reviews. The latter does sound lazy
Nice to see overtures on the programs.
Stillwaters run deep.