The Well-Tempered Ear

Take that Gustavo! Maestro Riccardo Muti gives a preview of his Chicago Symphony Orchestra tenure

By Jacob Stockinger

The spotlight this week was pretty much on the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its new director, the 28-year-old Venezuela-born wunderkind Gustavo Dudamel.

But Chicago may just have an answer to Dudamel — as least musically and perhaps even celebrity-wise.

If  you are a fan of the world-class Chicago Symphony Orchestra and are looking forward to the start of the Riccardo Muti era next season, you might find this review of the Italian maestro’s performance last week of Bruckner and Mozart illuminating, reassuring and even inspiring:

http://chicagoclassicalreview.com/2009/10/muti-returns-with-balletic-bruckner-and-memorable-mozart/

Check out the comments and other links on the  site.

Let’s hope when the time comes that PBS pays some attention to Muti, the CSO and the Windy City.

Do you think Muti is a good fit for Chicago?

Will he take the CSO to a new level?

The Ear wants to hear.