Critic’s Choice

Tue Apr 09, 2013 at 9:16 pm

By Lawrence A. Johnson

Riccardo Muti returns to Chicago this week, the Italian conductor’s first local appearance since last September following the cancellation of his January dates for medical reasons. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director will open his three-week April residency with Bach’s epic Mass in B minor, a rare local foray for Muti into Baroque repertoire. Muti leads the CSO, CSO Chorus and soloists Eleonora Buratto, Anna Malavasi, Saimir Pirgu, and Adam Plachetka 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. cso.org; 312-294-3000.

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Before the late successful surge for Muti’s appointment, some observers—and several musicians—felt Christian Thielemann might prove an ideal choice for CSO music director, his Late Romantic Austro-German repertoire fitting the orchestra like a perfectly tailored glove.

The German conductor returns for a rare Chicago appearance Sunday afternoon leading his Staatskapelle Dresden in an all-Brahms program. On tap are the Symphony No. 4, the Academic Festival Overture, and Violin Concerto with soloist Lisa Batiashvili. Concert time is 3 p.m. at Symphony Center. cso.org; 312-294-3000

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