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Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Muti was born in Naples, Italy, where he studied piano at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella under Vincenzo Vitale, graduating with distinction. He was subsequently awarded a diploma in composition and conducting by the Conservatory “Giuseppe Verdi,” Milan. He first came to the attention of critics and the public in 1967, when he was unanimously awarded first place in the Guido Cantelli Conductors Competition in Milan. The following year he was appointed principal conductor of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, a position he maintained until 1980. In 1971 he was invited by Herbert von Karajan to conduct at the Salzburg Festival, the first of many occasions that led, in 2001, to a celebration of 30 years of artistic collaboration.
During the 1970s Mr. Muti was the London Philharmonia’s chief conductor (1972–82), succeeding Otto Klemperer. In 1980 he succeeded Eugene Ormandy as music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra, where he remained until 1992. From 1986 to 2005 he was music director of Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, overseeing projects such as the Mozart-Da Ponte Trilogy and the Wagner Ring Cycle, in addition to bringing many less-performed and neglected works to light. His long tenure culminated on December 7, 2004, in the re-opening of the restored La Scala, with Salieri’s Europa riconosciuta, originally commissioned for La Scala’s inaugural opening night performance in 1778.
Over the course of his career, Riccardo Muti has conducted most of the world’s important orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, and the Vienna Philharmonic, an orchestra with which he has particularly close ties, and with which he has appeared at the Salzburg Festival since 1971. In April 2003 the French national radio channel, France Musique, broadcast a “Journée Riccardo Muti,” comprising 14 hours of his operatic and symphonic recordings. On December 14, 2003, he conducted the opening concert of the newly-renovated opera house “La Fenice” in Venice. In 2004 Mr. Muti founded the “Luigi Cherubini” Youth Orchestra comprising young musicians selected by an international committee from 600 instrumentalists throughout Italy. With the Cherubini Orchestra he is leading a five-year project dedicated to the Neapolitan School of the 18th century for the Salzburg Whitsun Festival.
On May 5, 2008, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association appointed Mr. Muti as its tenth music director; he will begin his five-year contract in September 2010. In the same season he will start as director of the Rome Opera House. Riccardo Muti’s last appearance with the New York Philharmonic was in November 2009. He is scheduled to return on April 14–17, 2010.
| Thursday, March 4, 2010 9:45AM |
Open Rehearsal: András Schiff Plays Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 |  |
| Thursday, March 4, 2010 7:30PM |
András Schiff Plays Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 | |
| Friday, March 5, 2010 8:00PM |
András Schiff Plays Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 | |
| Monday, March 8, 2010 7:30PM |
András Schiff Plays Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 | |
| Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:45AM |
Open Rehearsal: Repin, Beethoven's Violin Concerto & Franck's Symphony in D Minor | |
| Wednesday, March 10, 2010 7:30PM |
Repin, Beethoven's Violin Concerto & Franck's Symphony in D Minor | |
| Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:30PM |
Repin, Beethoven's Violin Concerto & Franck's Symphony in D Minor | |
| Saturday, March 13, 2010 8:00PM |
Repin, Beethoven's Violin Concerto & Franck's Symphony in D Minor | |
| Wednesday, April 14, 2010 9:45AM |
Open Rehearsal: Riccardo Muti Conducts Mozart & Schubert | |
| Wednesday, April 14, 2010 7:30PM |
Riccardo Muti Conducts Mozart & Schubert | |
| Thursday, April 15, 2010 7:30PM |
Riccardo Muti Conducts Mozart & Schubert | |
| Friday, April 16, 2010 8:00PM |
Riccardo Muti Conducts Mozart & Schubert | |
| Saturday, April 17, 2010 8:00PM |
Riccardo Muti Conducts Mozart & Schubert | |
Photo of Riccardo Muti: Chris Lee
