Chicago overflies London again
NewsThe Chicago Symphony Orchestra has yet again omitted the UK from its forthcoming European tour>
Why?
Either because neither the Barbican or the South Bank can afford its landing fees, or because the wokeish numbskulls running those two waning arts centres are unaware of the quality of Chicago’s playing.
If you want to hear them, click below:
Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) embark on their eighth European tour together in January 2024, marking the Orchestra’s 35th tour to Europe, its first since 2020, and the 64th international tour in its history. Part of the CSO’s 133rd season, the 2024 European tour includes 14 concerts in seven countries from January 11-29, 2024, with performances in Brussels, Paris, Essen, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Budapest, Vienna, Turin, Milan and Rome. The CSO’s 2024 European tour concert schedule is available at cso.org/europetour.
Maybe a problem with the Barbican?
Except Vienna and Milan, two places where Muti has historical connections, all the others are not top musical destinations. Lack of demand for this orchestra is a good explanation.
Rome, Budapest, Paris not top musical destinations? Seriously?
Also, if you follow orchestra tours, you will see that they generally do stop in one or a few more cities that are not exactly top musical destinations.
Total nonsense! Cologne, Frankfurt and Paris regularly host the top orchestras of the world.
Right, so cities like Paris, Frankfurt, Cologne, Budapest and Rome are “not top musical destinations” lol. You’ve got to be kidding.
Which are top musical destinations?
Damn, I’d like to see you say that to the French and Italians that Paris and Rome aren’t top musical places. Or Cologne and Frankfurt, both cities have superior orchestras to what London has to offer, more importantly they have loads of money for culture unlike London and the whole of UK. Lack brain cells is good explanation for your comment
Rose? Not top destinations? Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Cologne, Frankfurt? Btw, what planet are you from?
Gotta be Brexit! Come on…
Iam sure it is Brexit. even some
american rock groups no longer
tour the uk.
What a shame.
We have plenty of fine rock groups thank you, particularly in England and more so London and Manchester. As for the CSO, many reasons not to have them in a cost of living crisis, and probably would only play standard repertoire in London at a great ticket expense – which is hardly the four countries of the UK and their own capital cities of Belfast, Swansea, or Edinburgh, rather than the capital of – er – England!
Apart from the rolling stones. The British
Bands are not as good
You can see the programs in the link above. A new piece by Philipp Glass and Symphony No.3 by Florence Price are included. So not all standard rep.
Swansea?
Spoken like a true Brexiteer.
Yeah probably Brexit. Or because Boris ate some cake. Or something like that.
Well, the release does say European tour. The UK is no longer part of Europe so…
That’s obviously a provocation. If you still mix up Europe an the EU there is really nothing that can be done.
This said, indeed it looks like a problem related with the UK not being part of the EU any more, with all the consequent extra hurdles of bureaucracy and costs for crossing the border.
Part of Europe, always…. just not the EU structure.
No longer part of the European Union not ‘Europe’…
The UK is and always will be part of Europe. The referendum was only to leave the political/social organisation currently called The European Union. The geographical position will only alter as the earths plates move the British Isles elsewhere.
Rubbish! The UK is still part of Europe it is no longer in the European Community and visas are very slow and expensive.
Muti never, ever, takes Chicago to Berlin. When Thielemann is music director, he’ll change all that.
He won’t be MD of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Berlin Has not been in Chicago in a long time either.
Not true, they were in Chicago a year ago.
Muti has always been scared of objective critics and comparisons. He is afraid of going to Berlin where much finer conductors appear on a regular basis. He prefers the touristic circuit of Vienna and New York when they have him. He likes Asia where they are deferential to him. He never allowed a great conductor to go to Chicago until the end of his tenure.
Why not ask them?
If Muti is a great conductor, why didn’t the Chicago Symphony keep him as its music director? He is in good health it seems.
It must be the money. He was drawing 2 million bucks as music director; he now works half time, presumably on a per performance basis, presumably cheaper.
No, is Emeritus Director for Life and he is leading the orchestra in a certain number of programs (6 or 8) per season until there is a new steward. He said he would not renew as MD years back.
He has been there over a decade and he is 82, older than Solti when he retired.
Something very strange happened. The Chicago Classical Review did not review Muti’s concerts this September. This is highly unusual.
I wonder if there is a feud going on, because this website was the only critical voice of the CSO and Muti, while the other critics in particular Hedy Weiss and the Chicago Sun Times don’t have any objectivity at all and seem to be more an extension of the CSO PR department. Does anyone know anything about this?
I have heard from some people close to the CSO that the organization at some point had planned to have one of the critics of the Chicago Classical Review buy his own tickets. If true and confirmed, this would be very unfortunate and the equivalent of intimidating journalists, which is unheard of in the US. I hope someone can shed some light here. We need independent critics in Chicago.
Is there anyone from the Chicago Classical Review reading this and could you please respond? Or, Mr. Lebrecht could you potentially please look into this?
All critics on a payroll should be buying their own tickets. There is no evidence what they write attracts people to concerts. In fact, the opposite might be happening. Why should the orchestras fund these people when some of them are actively sabotaging the business? They can buy their own tickets or ask their publications to pay for the tickets.
Their loss!
CSO played a superb rendition of “Aus Italien” last night.
Even Viola section sounded great! (Thanks to Teng Li).
I was also there last night and agree that the playing was first rate.
Do you think she will win the principal chair? She is clearly a great player, but I wonder if her style is too demonstrative and soloistic for this orchestra.
She’s been named the principal yesterday.
This is not Solti’s CSO, or even Barenboim’s. Unsure as to why we would particularly care, since scores of superior orchestras visit and play in the city regularly.
British audiences prefer other conductors.
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/conductor/best-maestros-all-time/
I live in Germany and won’t bother, waiting for Chailly to come.
A stupid list if ever was one.
Remind me to ignore ClassicFM. I wonder where Blomstedt, Boult or Beecham, just to mention three “Bs”, would rank.
With which orchestra? Lucerne? Not gonna happen.
(Smile) I wouldn’t trust any greatest-conductors-of-all-time list that excluded Lydia Tár.
Still the world’s best orchestra, in my opinion, despite their failure to hire
Abbado all those years ago.
Still? It never was, and it ain’t now
The Berlin Phil would like a word…
It’s great to start the week-end reading some good jokes, thank you!
(btw Abbado did go and conduct the world’s best orchestra)
They’re not going to Berlin, Amsterdam, or Hamburg either. Might this actually just be this is when they could tour and these were the cities that had suitable places they could perform available on those dates?
Muti doesn’t seem to have a great relationship with Berlin or Amsterdam. He publicly Poo-poohed the Elbphilharmonie acoustically last time he took the CSO there, so I don’t see him wanting to go back there.
I guess that when the bureaucracy of getting into one country matches that of getting into 27, the appeal of that one country rather wanes.
Dawson-B is a doomster and a gloomster!
A complete myth perpetrated by remoaners
The Boston SO made it over for the Proms, as part of a tour (I assume), so not sure we can assume it is the B word.
I see that Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid and many others are to be overflown as well. Seems that lots of others are not appreciative of the Chicago sound.
The use of ‘wokeish’ in the comment says everything about the unthinking right wing prejudices of the author. The unbelievable stupidity of Brexit is one of if not the primary reasons why foreign artists find the UK a difficult option for touring but with a philistine government what hope is there?
“…wokeish…?” What does “woke” have to do with anything?
The last time I saw the CSO in London was way back in 2005 at the RFH, when Boulez conducted an all Bartok programme. Barenboim played the 1st Piano Concerto magnificently and the CSO were in great shape, and played superbly throughout the concert. Shame about the acoustics though – London still needs a first rate concert hall in order to compete with the best in the world.
One of the world’s greatest orchestras! They never missed a UK concert when Sir Georg Solti was conducting. Royal Albert Hall?
Wokish, waning arts centers- you got it. Defunding music in so many areas of life in the UK, from schools to Mid Wales Opera, leaves numbskulls in charge.
You certainly lose credit when you publish rude (and seems completely unsubstantiated) critic. Really a shame. You should remove this.
Jonathan
Remove what?
This is a bootless argument. The BPO under Abbado routinely went to Miami, Washington, DC and New York, but would bypass some major Midwestern cities such as Chicago and St. Louis and on the West Coast, performing in San Francisco, Pasadena, CA (but not Angeles) and Orange County. Why? Buddy Chandler didn’t like Abbado’s liberal politics, so he wasn’t welcome at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center. Today the Pavilion is not the principal concert house in Los Angeles, and Rattle and the BPO performed at Disney Hall. Reasons for not visiting the UK might well be something as similarly pitiful to this or it may be a legitimate fiscal issue. If you don’t know the reason, you can’t presume to know this is something of a slight, a political or fiscal issue.