Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti conducts Chicago Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Robert Chen, Associate Concertmaster Stephanie Jeong, Assistant Concertmaster David Taylor, and Assistant Concertmaster Yuan-Qing Yu in the Concerto in B minor for four violins and cello by Vivaldi. (Credit Todd Rosenberg Photography)

For the last of his three different concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this month, Maestro Riccardo Muti traveled back in time with a program comprised of a beguiling mix of works by two early 18th-century Baroque masters. – Antonio Vivaldi (the Italian priest, longtime musician director of a Venetian orphanage for girls and virtuoso violinist) and George Frideric Handel (composer and keyboardist of German origin who rose to fame in London with his oratorio “Messiah” as well as “Water Music”, a series of three suites, the first of which is performed as part of this concert.

Admittedly, we no longer live in the world of the Baroque, this period of richly decorative art, whether in architecture, painting, dance or its multiple musical manifestations which are at the origin of what is now called “the classic”. music.” Our society, our modes of communication, our musical instruments and even our way of listening have changed, yet the appeal of this music endures. And of course, when it is played by contemporary musicians for an audience contemporary, it can sound both “epoch-specific” and surprisingly refreshing with its high energy and virtuosity that in many ways avoids the psychological storms of later times.

The first half of the program is devoted to three short concertos by Vivaldi which condense the CSO into what could best be described as a galvanic chamber orchestra.

It begins with the Italian composer’s “Concerto in B minor for four violins” (featuring impeccable and feverish violin virtuosos drawn from the orchestra, including concertmaster Robert Chen, associate concertmaster Stephanie Jeong and assistant concertmasters David Taylor and Yuan-Qing Yu), as well as additional string players and the impeccable Mark Shuldiner on harpsichord. And in what sound like lively conversations that might be heard in the bustling little public squares of Italy, the solo violins engage in a series of beautiful, richly animated riffs that move from exuberant to solemn with speed, lightness and a kind of jewelry set. mix of emotions.

Then comes the composer’s “Concerto for flute in G minor (La Notte ou La nuit)” by the composer, a splendid showcase for Stefan Ragnar Hoskuldsson, the superb solo flute of the CSO, and a work which marvelously changes the atmosphere from dark calm to dream , to playful, danceable moments of high speed and birdsong along the way.

The last of Vivaldi’s works is the “Concerto in C major (Per la solennità di San Lorenzo)”, written to celebrate the feast in memory of the Christian martyr of the title. This concerto – one of more than 500 written by Vivaldi – is composed for a much larger number of musicians, including two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, a bassoon, two solo violins, plus a significant additional contingent of strings.

The piece opens with a golden, formal sound and a stillness that then bursts into a burst of joy that marks one of many mood swings from strong to delicate, including a wonderful conversation between Chen and John Sharp, l terrific lead cello orchestra, and a soulful solo clarinet riff performed successfully by Stephen Williamson. Overall, the concerto sounds a lot like a very elaborate and wonderfully indulgent dessert.

The second half of the concert features the first of many suites that make up Handel’s ‘Water Music’, the 1717 work that delighted England’s King George I, as it was originally performed for members of the English nobility. afloat on an open barge on the Thames. The dynamic sound of two French horns, along with two oboes, a bassoon and strings, set the room afloat, with the sound of dances such as a lively minuet and spirited bourrée suggesting both formality and ease of life for royalty. .

Throughout the evening, Muti shaped the works of Vivaldi and Handel with wonderfully balletic movements and meticulous cues. The result was a concert that reminded us that it is the musicians of the CSO who are members of the true “royal family” who call Orchestra Hall their castle.

This concert will be repeated on Saturday, January 29 at 8 p.m. Maestro Muti’s next residency with his beloved orchestra will begin on February 17 when he conducts the CSO in Philip Glass’ ‘Symphony No. 11’ and Beethoven’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 4’. with pianist Mitsuko Uchida as guest artist.

In the meantime, this week will conclude with a solo concert by Jan Lisiecki, the 26-year-old Canadian pianist known for his interpretations of works by Chopin.

For tickets, visit CSO.org or call (312) 294-3000.

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