In Monday’s (10/19) Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein writes, “Riccardo Muti knows that before taking office you must win over your various constituencies, one by one. … The music director designate of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra turned to more serious subjects Saturday afternoon at Symphony Center, where he combined an hourlong concert with the first of what could become a series of town hall-style meetings after he officially becomes music director in September. The throng that packed Orchestra Hall to hear his Bruckner later got a taste of the 68-year-old conductor’s sly wit, his deep seriousness about music and which directions he hopes to take the orchestra. … A symphony orchestra, Muti observed, functions as a model of how a democratic society can ideally operate. ‘Each section of the orchestra plays a different and independent part. But they put their parts together without killing what their colleagues are doing, so as to achieve a finished performance. They perform together to reach a superior goal—a unity of sound and expression—through cooperation. This is a valuable lesson for any society.’ ”
Posted October 20, 2009
