On Muti

Stephen Lester, double bass and chairman of the CSO Members Committee:
“Muti is very easy to work with in the sense that you know exactly what he wants. He communicates extremely well, both verbally and with his conducting gestures. It’s very easy for the orchestra to work with him, and it’s very exciting because he brings so much to performances.”

“As Muti said in his press conference, he doesn’t have anything to prove and he doesn’t think we [the CSO] have anything to prove; it’s just that when we’re together we make great music and it’s a lot of fun. The audience also really seems to get involved, and that makes it even more fun for us.”

Events he’s most looking forward to this season:
Free inaugural concert for Chicago in Millennium Park (Sept 19)
Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and Lélio featuring narration by French actor Gérard Depardieu (Sept 23–28)
Verdi’s Otello (Apr 9; 12)

Bill Dunn, former chorus member and CSO subscriber since 1985
“When an orchestra of the CSO’s stature selects a music director, it’s a momentous occasion. It doesn’t happen very often but, when it does, you know it’s the result of an extraordinary collaboration. The orchestra took great care to find and select a world-class conductor and leader for this institution. I was very pleased that they didn’t rush this decision and found a candidate that will be able to take the orchestra to great heights.”

“In 2007, a few days before Muti’s first performance here (after a 30-year hiatus), I had an accident and broke both my arms. But I was so excited and determined to see the performance that I went anyway. I refused to miss Muti’s reengagement with the orchestra. I wouldn’t let that opportunity pass me by, that’s how excited I was, and continue to be, about his appointment with us.”

“A great conductor has to have an incredible skill set, as well as a wonderful imagination and level of creativity. Aside from their technical skills and understanding the problems of performance, they need the confidence, communication skills and charisma to be able to stand up in font of a group of virtuoso musicians and persuade them to create that aural vision of what they had in mind. I think it’s a wonderful fit.”

“What excites me most is the unknown. I don’t know what this man and this orchestra will do together and Muti will shape this orchestra, but I do know that it will be very exciting, and a wonderful experience to see and hear what they will do together. I have confidence in Muti and the orchestra to do something with great integrity and excitement. It’s something we can all be proud of.”

“The orchestra responds so sensitively to Maestro Muti’s cues and leadership. There’s a very symbiotic relationship between the two that was apparent from the start. What you look for as an audience member is to be really engaged and absorbed in the moment, and that can only happen when the conductor and orchestra are committed to perform a work a certain way.”

“Muti seems to be very interested in engaging the Chicago community. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he does that. After all, it is the Chicago Symphony. Everything that I’ve read and heard indicated that he is very keen on reintroducing the orchestra to the different communities in the city. The classical music audience need to be regenerated, and we won’t really be able to do that unless we truly engage with the community.”

Events he’s most looking forward to this season:
Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 and Haydn’s Symphony No. 39 (Sept 30; Oct 1; Oct 5)