Muti Conducts Strauss, Schifrin, and Schubert 9

One of my favorite concerts that Maestro Muti led in Chicago last season was in January 2022, when he conducted Johann Strauss II’s Kaiser-Walzer, a piece that he had previously led in Vienna during the 2021 Neujahrskonzert. Considering Maestro Muti’s incredible, longstanding relationship with the Wiener Philharmoniker (+50 years!) and how he has led the famed Vienna Neujahrskonzert more times than anyone else today (after the change in ’87), it’s always such a pleasure being able to experience his conducting of this repertoire, not only filled with beautiful melodic lines, but also with a sense of nostalgia that harkens back to the old days of Vienna. And, of course, his strong rapport with the Viennese waltzes of Strauss comes from his Schubert, whose music has many similarities to that of Strauss. (And indeed, that is a key reason why the Wiener Philharmoniker asked him to conduct the Neujahrskonzert in the first place!)

So to have both a Strauss walzer (Overture to Indigo und die Vierzig Räuber) and Schubert’s greatest symphony (No. 9, The Great) on the same program was simply sublime…especially with the Schubert 9. There’s a moment in the second movement of the symphony, when the celli slowly and quietly emerge with one of the most beautiful phrases after a dramatic pause from the rest of the orchestra that honestly just makes time stand still — that moment alone was worth the entire price of admission…just absolutely mind-blowing music that was carried out with perfect execution by Maestro Muti and the CSO.

Besides the Strauss and Schubert, the other featured work on the program was that of Lalo Schifrin, who wrote a tuba concerto especially for the CSO’s principal tuba player, Gene Pokorny (who also teaches at Northwestern!). It was super cool to see the tuba showcased as a solo instrument with this amazing legend of a player in the spotlight, and Schifrin’s work really highlighted the different tones of the instrument, from the low bass register to a beautiful higher sonority that can sound just like a French horn.

And…what a delight to have a special surprise encore after the tuba concerto — the famous theme from Mission: Impossible, also composed by Schifrin and, as Pokorny eloquently explained to all of us in the audience, a theme that is based on the morse code for “MI”: –.. (dash-dash-dot-dot, dash-dash-dot-dot, etc.). All in all, an absolutely superb week of music, filled with a lot of fun, joy, laughter, and most importantly, deep insights.

We now arrive at the final program of the season — Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. This has been a long-awaited set of performances, as the piece was originally scheduled to be performed in September of 2020 for the Beethoven 250 anniversary, but due to the pandemic (which thankfully is over), the performances were postponed to the end of this current season. The first rehearsal kicked off yesterday, and already I’ve learned so much — I know I’ve said this before, but what an absolute genius Beethoven is. This work, along with his 9th Symphony, really are two of the greatest achievements of mankind. And I’m super glad that Maestro Muti is the one who is revealing the secrets, complexities, and nuances of this work for all of us to learn — it’s going to be an amazing experience and a week to remember.