In 2022, Riccardo Muti's deep connection with Giuseppe Verdi was highlighted by two major events with his most prominent ensembles: a "monumental" performance of Un ballo in maschera in Chicago and a specialized focus on the Messa da Requiem at his Italian Opera Academy.
Performed in concert form as Muti approached the end of his tenure as Music Director, this production was hailed as a "stunner" and a "triumph" by critics and audiences alike. Riccardo Muti conducts Verdi (2022)
Muti returned to Ravenna and Bologna to lead performances of Verdi’s Requiem with the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra. In 2022, Riccardo Muti's deep connection with Giuseppe
Muti, the CSO and Verdi: an inspired partnership for the ages Muti, the CSO and Verdi: an inspired partnership
: Muti's reading emphasized the Requiem as a "plea of desperation" rather than a liturgical exercise, focusing on meticulous textual meaning and word emphasis.
: Muti’s approach centered on "gleaming, even fearsome clarity," stripping away the typical "bad habits" of Italian tradition like score cuts or over-the-top acting.
: By performing in concert, the music was "largely liberated from distractions," allowing the score's inventive colors and "simmering quiet" to shine. Messa da Requiem (Italian Opera Academy, December 2022)