Maestro Muti & the Concert for Chicago

This past Tuesday’s “Concert for Chicago” in Millennium Park, the annual free concert performed by Maestro Muti and the CSO featured two pieces: Florence Price’s Andante moderato (first performed in the opening concerts of the ’21-’22 season) and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. As the end of the concert approached, with the final triumphant chords of Tchaikovsky’s 5th ringing throughout the park, I just couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy because although this last concert of Maestro Muti as music director isn’t a goodbye by any means, it still feels sad when you know this special relationship could have gone on much longer…well, as the famous quote goes, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

And indeed, what absolutely amazing, incredible things have happened over the years. I don’t even know where to begin in describing the tremendous impact that Maestro Muti has had, not only on myself, but on this city and around the world. He has given so much to this orchestra and to the community, and has really elevated the musical quality of this orchestra from its already high standard—the playing today is even more refined, balanced, and flexible—tailored perfectly to the style of various different composers, ranging from Mozart to Bruckner to Beethoven to Verdi. And now, how the orchestra can really sing (cantabilità) or perform with such a lightness and transparency (leggerezza)…all of which is because of Maestro Muti’s emphasis on performing Italian opera—the way it was written!

Anyways, that officially concludes the ’22-’23 CSO season…hope everyone has a great summer! I’ll be enjoying summer here in Chicago (with perhaps some small travels here and there), wrapping up stuff at Northwestern and preparing for my new position later in the summer. And, of course, can’t wait for the start of the ’23-’24 season in late September!