On 12 December, world-renowned conductor Riccardo Muti performs with the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra and the Choir of the Siena Cathedral “Guido Chigi Saracini” in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. During the occasion, Muti will receive the prestigious “Ratzinger Prize,” established in 2011, and awarded annually, with the Pope’s approval, to eminent personalities in the field of Christian-inspired culture and art.
By Marcello Filotei
An orchestra that begins tuning its musical instruments is a sort of sonic chaos in which one can recognize hints and fragments of the piece that will be performed. Here and there appear arpeggios used to warm up a wind instrument, or echoes of technical exercises young musicians had to go through in their training. Then it happens: Maestro Riccardo Muti steps onto the podium in the Paul VI Hall, and suddenly the silence “erupts.” It does not happen with every conductor, it happens with those who command respect, sometimes through authority, and in this case, through a deep, natural authority.
Making music for music’s sake
The concert is scheduled for Friday, 12 December at 6 pm, but the adventure began twenty-four hours earlier. The young musicians of the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra at their music stands, and behind them, the Choir of the Siena Cathedral “Guido Chigi Saracini” began rehearsals, everyone in casual clothes. On the program is Luigi Cherubini’s Mass for the Coronation of Charles X, a festive Mass and everything must move in that direction, even the lighting.
The advice given to the young musicians is clear and precise: perfection is the requirement. After all, the Cherubini Orchestra was founded by Muti in 2004 precisely to create a place where he could pass on what he inherited from his own teachers, starting with Antonino Votto, the first assistant to Arturo Toscanini and himself the custodian of knowledge handed down from Verdi. It is knowledge and experience that cannot be found in books, transmitted with discipline and an occasional ironic remark. The idea can be summed up in a non-negotiable principle: one must make music for the sake of music, understanding what one is playing and placing oneself at the service of the composer.
Ratzinger Prize
At the conclusion of the concert, Maestro Muti will be awarded this year’s Ratzinger Prize. The Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation announced the award, highlighting Muti’s contributions to Christian-inspired culture through music. The event honours the conductor’s artistic legacy while paying tribute to his mutual admiration with Pope Benedict XVI, who was an esteemed musicologist.
Concert to be broadcast live on Vatican Radio
The rehearsals came to a conclusion, the lights come back on, and the magic is over, for now. It will begin again at 6 pm on Friday 12 December in a Paul VI Hall expected to be packed. Those who were unable to get a ticket can listen to the concert live on Vatican Radio. Tuning in at 5:30 pm, they can also enjoy an extended interview with Maestro Muti and the Choir’s director, Lorenzo Donati.
