Riccardo Muti's first concert deserves simple superlatives. A superb orchestra, with a conductor in total control. But two other factors made this concert stand out. First, visiting orchestras invariably are sloppy on their first nights. Whether from the travel or simply not caring, messiness is a fact of life. Yet Muti could have been playing a first night in Carnegie Hall rather than the Cultural Centre, so tightly did he control his ensemble. On a more positive note, I have rarely heard music played more lyrically, more rounded, with both richness and delicacy. Muti may have almost frightened his artists with his dictatorial pose, but his intuitive sense of melody and line also makes him one of the most attractive people on the podium. His three works complemented each other, in that each was a celebration of absolute joy. Bartok's Two Pictures was a homage to beauty and dance. Elgar's In The South was in praise of Italy, while Beethoven's Seventh was devoted to the ecstasy of rhythm. Nothing in Muti's Beethoven was long or wrong. It was a sanguine performance, where even the funereal slow movement was like a walk in the countryside. In the opening, the introduction was a sunrise, and the main themes exuberantly happy. Somehow, in those final woodwind 'nature' themes, Muti slowed the pulse, while never losing the rhythm. As for the finale, the rhythm was presto rather than allegro con brio but this only made those spiky stops and starts more exciting. The Bartok pair were in turn delicate and rousing. La Scala's individual musicians may be excellent, but Muti sculpted them here into a gorgeous tapestry. The Elgar overture was the most memorable of all. English conductors can try their best with it. But when a South Italian translates Elgar's love affair with Italy, one is transported into a wondrous musical dimension. Philharmonic Orchestra of La Scala, Riccardo Muti conductor, HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall, September 8
