Maestro Muti 'Destino'd' to debut in China

Italian maestro Riccardo Muti will conduct an Asian orchestra for the first time on Thursday when he holds the baton for Shanghai Symphony Orchestra's New Year concert at the Shanghai Grand Theater.

Muti, 68, is one of the most famous conductors in today's classical music scene and the only person who has conducted the Vienna New Year's Concert three times.

"We're trying to establish our New Year's Concert branding among music lovers in Shanghai and we made a big effort to find good conductors to work with us," says Chen Guangxian, director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

"Audiences in Shanghai like the idea - the New Year's Concert at Golden Hall in Vienna is broadcast live on CCTV all over China every year."

China has been a major destination for Western musicians and orchestras in recent years. In 2009 alone, Shanghai Grand Theater hosted concerts by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bernard Haitink, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, led by Riccardo Chailly, as well as concerts and workshops by Seiji Ozawa.

"It's not easy to get an acclaimed master like Muti to visit Shanghai, so we want to create the opportunity for him to work with Shanghai's best orchestra, which is also the oldest one in Asia," says Zhang Zhe, director of the Shanghai Grand Theater.

"We'd like the maestro to pass on his understanding of music and the essence of his skills to musicians in Shanghai. This would be much more meaningful than having a foreign orchestra tour China."

The program, made by Muti himself, consists of Verdi's overture to "La Forza del Destino", the music from his ballet "Vpres Siciliennes", Martucci's "Notturno" and Respighi's "Pines of Rome".

"Pines of Rome will have its Chinese premiere with this concert," says Chen.

Muti was born in Naples and has been active in the international music scene since the early 1970s. Next year he will serve as the director of the Rome Opera House and the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for five years.

Dec 31, 7:15 pm

Shanghai Grand Theater

300 Renmin Avenue

人民大道300号，上海大剧院

Tel: 6386-8686

Tickets: 280-1880 yuan

Other concerts for the New Year season include:

Wiener Johann Strauss Waltz Orchestra

Classical waltz pieces from Austria will be played in celebration of the New Year. The orchestra was founded by Johann Strauss in 1824. Unique to this orchestra is that its concert leader is the first violinist rather than the conductor.

Jan 2, 3; 7:30 pm

Shanghai Grand Theater 300 Renmin Avenue

Maestro Muti 'Destino'd' to debut in China

Tickets: 180-880 yuan

Wiener Strauss-Capelle

The program is made up of waltzes and polka dance movements by Johann Strauss and other popular pieces such as Somewhere Over The Rainbow and the Chinese folksong Yasmin Flowers.

Dec 31, 7:30 pm, 10:30 pm; Jan 1, 2 pm, 7:30 pm; Jan 2, 2 pm

Shanghai Concert Hall

523 Yan'an Road E

延安东路523号

Tel: 5386-6666

Tickets: 180-980 yuan

(China Daily 12/26/2009 page14)