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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 16 February 2018
Muti still on mission to honor original intent of Verdi

By RONALD BLUM which he called "that note now the stage directors
Associated Press that belongs to a circus have become extremely
NEW YORK (AP) — Riccardo and not to the opera." important to the point that
Muti thinks about how an Muti made one exception: they many times invent a
afterlife meeting with Gi- the 1990 return to La Scala story that has nothing to do
useppe Verdi would go af- of "La Traviata." The audi- with the opera itself, also
ter spending decades fight- ence had booed conduc- because many of them,
ing to perform the works of tor Herbert von Karajan they are ignorant about
Italy's greatest composer and soprano Mirella Freni music."
exactly as written. when the middle Verdi For instance, he cites the
"My questions to Verdi masterpiece was staged in 2010 Pierre Audi produc-
would be if I did right," the 1964 — its first appearance tion of Verdi's "Attila" he led
76-year-old conductor there since Maria Callas' at New York's Metropolitan
said. "And if he says that I performances in 1956. Muti Opera, with sets by the ar-
was wrong, then I will die hired a young cast led by chitect firm Herzog & de
for a second time." 31-year-old soprano Tiziana This Feb. 9, 2018 photo released by the Chicago Symphony Or- Meuron.
During a career that in- Fabbricini and 26-year-old chestra shows Riccardo Muti, standing right, during a rehearsal "That was not avant-garde.
cluded music director tenor Roberto Alagna. for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra 2018 Winter Tour at Carn- It was bad," he said. "That
tenures with the Philadel- "During the rehearsals she egie Hall in New York. was terrible."
phia Orchestra (1980-92), sang for me an E flat, the Associated Press He laughs repeatedly when
Milan's Teatro alla Scala famous E flat at the end of Verdi will forgive you. I kept very hard law, but it's the discussing Mozart and li-
(1986-2005) and the Chi- the cabaletta, the finale of thinking shame on you Ric- law," he explained. "But I'm brettist Lorenzo Da Ponte,
cago Symphony Orchestra the first act, and I was very cardo, but in case of war sad because these are two talks about the double
(since 2010), and principal impressed because she everything is possible. She colleagues that I respect- entendres with sexual ref-
conductor posts with Italy's had a fantastic round, full E sang the E flat and the ed very much as musicians erences he discovered in
Maggio Musicale Fioren- flat, not just like a mosquito. theater exploded. ... But and AS musicians I still re- their trilogy of operas, and
tino (1968-80) and London's I said you keep for the fu- I thought is it possible that spect them." says there are likely many
Philharmonia Orchestra ture," he recalled. "Before a triumph comes through He keeps a busy guest- that he missed.
(1972-82), Muti established the performance, I don't one note? That is exactly conducting schedule. And "Two little pigs," he says of
himself as a perfection- know why, a voice came what I've been fighting all three years ago he found- their raunchiness with a
ist and purist. He insists on to me and said Riccardo, my life. But that was an ex- ed the Riccardo Muti Ital- twinkle in his eye.
"come scritto," that com- just in case, remember that ception, and it remains an ian Opera Academy in He also has learned to
positions be performed "as you have a weapon." exception." Ravenna, where he lives, to laugh about the "Traviata"
written" without interpolat- He had worked out a signal After agreeing to extend teach young conductors. performance at La Scala
ed high notes intended to with Fabbricini: If he nod- his contract with Chicago "As (Arturo) Toscanini said, on April 7, 1992, when an
thrill audiences. ded during "Sempre libera through 2021-22, Muti is tak- every donkey can beat alarm clock hidden in the
"I've been fighting all my life (Forever free)," she should ing the ensemble on a U.S. time, but to make music, podium went off in the third
against all the bad habits take the unwritten high East Coast tour this month. it's another thing," he de- act, ending the night pre-
about the Verdi interpreta- note. He is saddened by allega- clared. maturely.
tion, interpolations, trans- "But you have to be sure, tions of sexual misconduct With a few exceptions, Muti "To lift the podium in La
positions, cuts, high notes because if you crack the that have sidelined fellow thinks young conductors Scala — that is extremely
that he didn't write," he note, then they will burn the conductors James Levine fail to study a string instru- heavy, so you need at least
said last weekend. "I made theater," he told her. and Charles Dutoit. After ment or piano sufficiently. four people," he said. "It
and am still making a war "So I started the opera, framing his remarks by say- "They want to have suc- must have been certainly
against all these habits." the atmosphere was like in ing he doesn't have first- cess immediately," he said. from somebody in the the-
He refused to allow tenors North Pole. Icy," he went on. hand knowledge of the "Because conductors don't ater, not the musicians, not
Alfredo Kraus and Salva- "So I said Riccardo, forget facts, he says any abuse have the authority and the the chorus. I don't know —
tore Licitra to sing a high C all your love for Verdi, your must be condemned. knowledge to prepare a some workers. It remains a
to end "Di quella pira (Of philology, your ethical ap- "The Romans used to say group of singers dramati- mystery, and it's better that
that pyre)" in "Il Trovatore," proach, artistic approach. 'dura lex, sed lex' — it's a cally, not only musically, it remains like that."q

Grammys defends itself about women representation

By MESFIN FEKADU standard. of the year, record of the percent of the academy's only woman nominated for
NEW YORK (AP) — After a The letter to academy year, song of the year, best voting membership. album of the year, perform
few missteps, The Record- members comes weeks new artist, and non-classi- The academy was heavily at its 60th show last month.
ing Academy is reassuring after a University of South- cal producer of the year criticized last month when "The gender composition of
its members that it is not ern California- Annenberg — an award where female its CEO Neil Portnow said our membership and nomi-
lagging behind the music School for Communication nominees is a rarity. women need to "step up" nations reflect that of the
industry when it comes to and Journalism study ana- However, in looking at the when asked about the music community.
female representation. lyzed gender and race in same six years at all of 84 lack of female winners at But it's not enough to re-
In a letter sent to voting music over the last six years, Grammy categories, the the 2018 Grammys. Port- flect the community.
and non-voting members including Grammy nomi- academy said that 17 per- now later said his words We must be leaders in
Thursday, which was ob- nees. cent of its nominees were were taken out of context, moving our industry toward
tained by The Associated Between 2012 and 2017, women. USC's study reports though three separate let- greater inclusion and repre-
Press, the academy offers USC said 90.7 percent of that women account for ters from music executives sentation," the letter reads.
statistics to show that wom- the nominees were male 22.4 percent of performers, demanded a revamp at v"Women are 50 percent
en had a larger presence and 9.3 percent were fe- 12.3 percent of songwriters the academy. The Gram- of our world. We need their
at the Grammy Awards male. The numbers come and 2 percent of produc- mys telecast was also under voice and presence at ev-
compared to the industry from five awards: album ers. Women make up 21 fire for not letting Lorde, the ery level."q