Apologies for the late post, but that’s because I just defended my PhD dissertation and was hooded by my advisor last week! It was hectic finishing the written dissertation as well as putting all my slides together over the past couple of weeks, especially towards the last couple of days right before the final defense presentation, but in the end, it all went well and I was finally able to receive that coveted PhD hood (see some photos below from graduation)!
Anyways, right before my dissertation defense was the third and final week of Maestro Muti’s May residency in Chicago, which first featured an open rehearsal with the Civic Orchestra (on Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and then later on in the week, a fantastic program w/ the CSO, featuring music of Mozart, Kraft, and Respighi. For the sake of brevity and time, I’ll just write a bit about the Respighi Pini di Roma, but that’s definitely not to take away from the rest of this fantastic program (including Mozart’s Divertimento in F major (K138), Kraft’s Timpani Concerto, and Respighi’s Antiche danze ed arie, Suite I) .
Respighi’s Pini di Roma occupies a pretty special place in the history of Maestro Muti and the CSO. This work was actually featured in Maestro Muti’s first concert as music director (which was at Millennium Park), and was also on the program the first week back from *that* strike in 2019. It’s a piece that really plays to the strengths of this orchestra and conductor…from the utter tranquility and flowing lines (especially from the clarinet and strings!) of the third movement (“I Pini del Gianicolo”) to the famous climactic fourth and final movement (“I Pini della Via Appia”), which Maestro Muti and the CSO build up with such intensity and precision — it’s an absolutely incredible sonic experience to hear this finale performed live in the hall.
Apologies for this relatively short post, but I’ll be back shortly with more, as Maestro Muti is back in Chicago this week to kick off his June residency to conclude the rest of the CSO’s ’22-’23 season. This week’s program features some great Viennese music, including that from Johann Strauss II (Overture to Indigo und die vierzig Räuber) and Schubert (Symphony No. 9) — no one conducts this repertoire better than him! (There’s also a nice surprise in the program awaiting the audiences who attend the concerts this week …will explain later! 😀 ).
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