Conductor: Riccardo Muti

Born in Naples, Italy, Riccardo Muti is one of the preeminent conductors of our day. In 2010, when he became the tenth music director of the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), he had more than 40 years of experience at the helm of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (1968–1980), the Philharmonia Orchestra (1972–1982), the Philadelphia Orchestra (1980–1992), and Teatroalla Scala (1986–2005), and he has had a close relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Salzburg Festival for more than 45 years.

 

 

He is an honorary member of Vienna's Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Society of the Friends of Music), the Vienna Hofmusikkapelle, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Vienna State Opera.

 

Muti has received innumerable international honors. He is a Cavaliere di Gran Croce of the Italian Republic, Knight Commander of the British Empire, Officer of the French Legion of Honor, Knight of the Grand Cross First Class of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great and a recipient of the German Verdienstkreuz and the Russian Order of Friendship. Muti has also received Israel's Wolf Prize for the arts, Sweden's Birgit Nilsson Prize, and Spain's Prince of Asturias Award.

 

 

 

Now celebrating its 125th season, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the world's leading orchestras. In September 2010, renowned Italian conductor Riccardo Muti became its tenth music director. His vision for the Orchestra—to deepen its engagement with the Chicago community, to nurture its legacy while supporting a new generation of musicians, and to collaborate with visionary artists—signals a new era for the institution.

 

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's distinguished history began in 1889, when Theodore Thomas, then the leading conductor in America and a recognized music pioneer, was invited by Chicago businessman Charles Norman Fay to establish a symphony orchestra here. Thomas's aim to establish a permanent orchestra with performance capabilities of the highest quality was realized at the first concerts in October 1891. Thomas served as music director until his death in 1905—just three weeks after the dedication of Orchestra Hall, the Orchestra's permanent home designed by Daniel Burnham.

 

 

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1. Brahms: Symphony No. 1
2. Brahms: Symphony No. 2

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1. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
2. Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade