Orchestra members are describing the appointment of Riccardo Muti, new music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a remarkable moment in the history of the orchestra.
That history began in 1891 with the German-born Theodore Thomas as founding conductor. Now the orchestra prepares to welcome the Italian Muti, veteran of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Teatro alla Scala in Milan, as its 10th music director.
“The process of securing Muti was one of delicate diplomacy,” said Oak Park resident and CSO trombonist Michael Mulcahy, who served for the past four years as a member of the orchestra’s search committee. The 15 people who composed the committee came to a consensus in their choice of Muti. Mulcahy praised the team for their willingness to take the necessary time to find the right person.
“Only time could have produced results like finding Muti,” he said of their efforts, which involved reaching out worldwide to major conductors.
“The orchestra was very fortunate, in that during this interim, we were able to work with Bernard Haitink,” said Mulcahy, noting that Haitink pushed the orchestra to continue growing artistically even in his short tenure as principal conductor. “The performances of Mahler’s First Symphony in Carnegie Hall were very special.”
Bassoonist Dennis Michel of Oak Park praised Haitink as well, saying the period between music directors could have been scary, but Haitink will be handing off an even better orchestra to Muti when he arrives in 2010.
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CSO principal trombonist Jay Friedman, who is also the popular conductor of the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest, says “Muti’s the very best we could have gotten. He is a great fit with the orchestra. People will want to come hear concerts under him even more than before.”
How much better can the CSO become due to the presence of one man? Mulcahy says the pool of potential conductors was filled with people who were all smart and all famous. “But with Muti, there was an incredible reverence for the music. There is no self-indulgence. A conductor who is all about the music and the composer’s intentions really lifts the orchestra.” For Michel, Muti is a rare conductor who doesn’t insist on imposing his personal view on the music, but instead reads the orchestra and personalizes an approach to highlight that particular group of players. “He coaxes the best out of everyone.”
Violinist Melanie Kupchynsky of River Forest, who in 1989 was one of the last players to be hired by music director laureate Sir George Solti, was effusive with her praise. “Muti struck a universal chord with the musicians. This was one of those times when almost no one had anything negative to say. He brings a fantastic combination of musicianship, charisma, and warmth to his job. He’s peerless. We’re all inspired to play our best to be worthy of working with him.”
Another string player, cellist Loren Brown of Oak Park, who has played with the CSO for 22 years, commented, as did others, that the CSO had very little experience with Muti for more than 30 years and everyone was delighted at how naturally a strong relationship formed between him and the players during the search. “The concerts we played with Muti were just electrifying,” Bowen said, referring to last fall’s European tour. “I have a really positive feeling about what is coming with him in the future.”
The orchestra performed works chosen by Muti for the tour, which visited Italy, Germany, France, and England, and included the rarely-played Prokofiev Third Symphony. Michel remembers, “It’s a very difficult work, very disjunct, but Muti was able to unify it and give the piece meaning. But that tour was also special because we played the Tchaikovsky Pathetique (6th) Symphony, and we were able to see how well he worked with a piece that everyone knows and has played throughout their careers.”
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A future with Muti at the helm seems to be one of the most agreeable things to hit the tumultuous world of major-league orchestras, which, nationwide, struggle with diminishing ticket sales, rising costs, and conductors spending more time on planes than at hometown podiums.
The Chicago Symphony’s future was summed up by Michel: “Muti is a complete package-tremendously gifted, so natural in his movements, and a very thorough musician. When he gets here, I’m really looking forward to getting down to work!”
Mulcahy, too, sees promise for the future. “Muti is coming to Chicago at the pinnacle of his career. What he will do here will be right up there with Fritz Reiner,” referring to the legendary CSO conductor who wielded the baton from 1953 to 1962. And what else do orchestra players hope for under Muti? “Well,” said one player, “we’re looking forward to a little less sauerkraut on our tour itineraries.”
Muti will conduct the CSO beginning in 2010 for a minimum of 10 weeks per season, plus domestic and international tours. Maybe he’ll like it here so much he will want to stay year-round in a lovely Italianate villa in River Forest.