Riccardo Muti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Riccardo Muti
OMRI GCSG
|
|
|---|---|
Muti in 2008
|
|
| Born | 28 July 1941 |
| Alma mater | Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella, Naples Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory, Milan |
| Occupation | Conductor |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Cristina Mazzavillani
(m. 1969) |
| Children | 3 |
Riccardo Muti (born 28 July 1941) is a famous Italian conductor. A conductor leads an orchestra or choir, guiding the musicians to play together and express the music. Muti is currently the music director of the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini.
He has worked with many important orchestras and opera houses around the world. These include the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He is especially known for conducting the music of Giuseppe Verdi. Muti has received many awards, including two Grammy Awards.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Riccardo Muti was born in Naples, Italy. He spent his early childhood in Molfetta, a town near Bari on Italy's southern coast. His father was a doctor and loved music. His mother was from Naples and had five children, including Riccardo.
Muti studied piano at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella in Naples. He then went on to study composition and conducting at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. He also learned from the famous composer Nino Rota. In 1967, Muti won first place in the "Guido Cantelli Competition for Conductors." The next year, he became the main conductor and music director of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival, a role he held for eleven years.
A Career in Music
Leading Orchestras
Since 1971, Muti has often conducted operas and concerts at the Salzburg Festival. He is well-known for his performances of Mozart's operas there. In 1973, he became the main conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.
In 1979, Muti became the music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra in the United States. He led this orchestra for twelve years. He also became the main conductor of the Filarmonica della Scala in Milan in 1986.
Working in Berlin and Vienna
Muti has often been a guest conductor for the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. He has toured with the Vienna Philharmonic to many countries. He has also conducted the famous Vienna New Year's Concert seven times. These concerts happened in 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2018, and 2021. He is scheduled to conduct it again in 2025.
Opera Performances
Muti was the music director at Milan's Teatro alla Scala for 19 years. He also led opera performances in other major opera houses. These include Rome, Vienna, London, Munich, and New York. His work with the Vienna State Opera includes famous operas like Aida, Norma, and Don Giovanni.
Salzburg Festival Appearances
Muti first conducted at the Salzburg Festival in 1971. He has regularly returned to the festival, conducting many concerts and opera productions. Some of the operas he has led there include Così fan tutte, La traviata, and Die Zauberflöte. In 2011, he conducted a new production of Verdi's Macbeth.
From 2007 to 2011, Muti was the artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival. He conducted rare Italian operas from the 1700s. He also led concerts with the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra, which he had started.
Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy
In 2015, Riccardo Muti started his Italian Opera Academy. This academy helps young conductors, coaches, and singers learn from his experience. It also helps music lovers understand how an opera production comes together. The academy takes place at Teatro Alighieri in Ravenna, Italy.
Work in the United States
Philadelphia and Chicago
From 1980 to 1992, Muti was the music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He led them on many international tours. He believed in staying true to the composer's original ideas for the music. This was a different approach from some earlier conductors of the orchestra.
Muti first conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in 1973. He returned as a guest conductor in 2007. In May 2008, the CSO named Muti their next music director. He started this role in the 2010–2011 season. His time in Chicago was very successful. He led many powerful and graceful performances. Muti stepped down as music director at the end of the 2022–2023 season. In June 2023, the CSO announced that he would become Music Director Emeritus for life. This means he will continue to perform with them sometimes.
Leaving La Scala
In 2005, Riccardo Muti resigned from La Scala opera house in Milan. He had been the music director there for 19 years. He left because of disagreements with some staff members.
A Special Performance
On March 12, 2011, Muti was conducting Verdi's opera Nabucco in Rome. After the famous chorus "Va, pensiero" (which means "Go, thought"), the audience applauded loudly. Muti then spoke to the audience. He talked about the importance of keeping culture alive in Italy, especially with budget cuts happening. He then invited the audience to sing the chorus again with the performers. Many people in the audience knew the words and sang along. Muti later said it was the first and last time he would conduct a chorus with the audience.
Personal Life
Muti is married to Maria Cristina Mazzavillani. She is the founder and director of the Ravenna Festival. They have two sons, Domenico and Francesco, and a daughter, Chiara. Chiara is married to the pianist David Fray.
In 2010, Muti wrote his autobiography. It was later translated into English as Riccardo Muti: An Autobiography: First the Music, Then the Words.
Music and Recordings
With the Philadelphia Orchestra, Muti recorded many works. These include symphonies by Beethoven and Brahms. He also recorded pieces by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.
Muti is known as one of the best conductors of Verdi's operas. He has also led many opera concerts featuring works by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, and Wagner. In 1992, he conducted performances of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci with the famous singer Luciano Pavarotti.
At La Scala, Muti helped bring back lesser-known operas from the Classical and early Romantic periods.
Awards and Honours
Special Honours
- Muti has received several honours from the Italian government. He was made a Grand Officer in 1980 and a Knight Grand Cross in 1990 of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
- He became an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in 1981.
- In 2000, Muti was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE).
- He received an honorary degree from the Universitat de Barcelona in 2003.
- In 2010, he was appointed a Commander of the Legion of Honour by France.
- In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI made Muti a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great.
- In 2016, Muti received the Gold and Silver Star of Japan's Order of the Rising Sun.
Major Awards
- In 2010, Muti won two Grammy Awards. These were for Best Classical Album and Best Choral Performance for Verdi: Requiem.
- He received the Birgit Nilsson Prize in 2011.
- Also in 2011, he won the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts.
- In 2018, Muti was awarded the Praemium Imperiale.
See also
In Spanish: Riccardo Muti para niños
