Muti and CSO revel in the glory of Italian opera

In the beginning there was the voice. Then came the invention of musical instruments which in many ways echoed or expanded upon those voices. A basic enough observation, to be sure. But the grand audible proof of it all came to the fore Thursday evening as Maestro Riccardo Muti led a monumental assemblage (comprised of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, its 147-voice Chorus, and 47 truly heavenly voices from the Chicago Children’s Choir), for a program of Italian Opera Masterworks.

A grand finale to Muti’s 2016-2017 season at Symphony Center, the Maestro was clearly in a state of bliss as he gloried in the music of Verdi, Puccini, Mascagni and Boito – all part of the Italian “roots repertoire” that is deep in the DNA of this Neapolitan-born conductor. This is not, however, a program of arias (there was only one). Rather, it is primarily a fascinating illustration of the way in which these four composers used a stirring interplay of instrumental and choral sound to help tell their stories.

THE CSO AND MAESTRO RICCARDO MUTI in

ITALIAN OPERA MASTERWORKS

Highly recommended

When: June 24 at 8 p.m. and June 25 at 3 p.m.

Where: Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan

Tickets: $39-$295 (Rush tickets $75)

Info: (312) 312-294-3000;

http://www.cso.org

Run time: 2 hours with one intermission

Muti, who is considered the foremost Verdi interpreter of his generation, and who served a rather stormy tenure as Teatro alla Scala’s music director from 1986 to 2005, began the program with the beautiful Overture to “Nabucco,” the composer’s third opera and first success. Awash in many colors and shift of moods, it captures the essence of themes developed later in this opera (about the plight of the Jews who are to be exiled from their homeland by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar). It begins with a proclamation by the horns, quickly shifts to a lighter if more agitated yet still lyrical theme, gives the flute the chance to sing with a birdlike flutter, demands that the violins work up a fury, and then shifts into a passage of almost playful high energy.

The program then moves on to four choruses from the opera. The initial “Gli arredi festivi” (“Throw down and destroy all festive decorations”), showcases the vocal force of the chorus’ tenors before shifting to the gentleness of the female voices, with two harps (Sarah Bullen and Lynne Turner) at the ready, and then a massive swelling of all the voices that is a joy to behold as the orchestra and chorus seem to mirror each other. From there it is on to the familiar and stirring “Va, pensiero” (“Hasten, thoughts”), with its pensive opening, its urgent strings, and the gentle sound of female voices gradually expanding to include the full chorus.

The selection from Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” – “Vedi! La fosche notturne” (“See! The endless sky casts off her sombre nightly garb…”) – captures the exuberance and wild dancing spirit of the opera’s gypsy world, and, in the famous “Anvil Chorus,” involves a thrilling use of metal anvils on either side of the stage (played by Cynthia Yeh and James Ross).

From Verdi’s “Macbeth,” there is “Patria oppressa!” (“Downtrodden country!”), with its growing storm of timpani, its anxiously plucked violins, its powerful use of cellos, and tunnels of sound from the chorus and orchestra that move from a whisper to full blown force. And for the final Verdi work there is the Overture to “I vespri siciliani” (“The Sicilian Vespers”), a tale of tragedy and politics. It begins in a formal, solemn mood, with the use of strings, and muffled drums and winds, and morphs into an explosive sound, with the great speed, a honeyed sound for the violins and cellos, and the overall propulsion of a grand cinematic soundtrack.

The Intermezzo from Act 3 of Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” opens the second half of the concert – a ravishing burst of dreamy yearning and heartache that pulses with a romantic fervency that almost seems to “sing” from a different time and place. The Intermezzo from Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” also soars on meltingly lovely melodies.

And then it is on to the big event of the evening – the Prologue from “Mefistofele,” Boito’s opera about Faust’s deal with the devil. It comes complete with a chorus of Heavenly Hosts, Penitent Women, and Cherubim with voices so sweet they could easily counter the most self-congratulatory devil (and Riccardo Zanellato, the bass who is a frequent collaborator with Muti, brings a most engaging sense of superiority and smugness to his portrayal). Duain Wolfe, director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus works magic with his magisterial group of singers, as does Josephine Lee, artistic director of the Children’s Choir, who oversees a remarkable ensemble that carries great hope for the future of music, and the human spirit.

Muti, clearly in seventh heaven by the end of the program, reminded the audience that Toscanini included Boito’s work on his historic 1946 concert marking the re-opening of La Scala after World War II. He then harpooned opera directors’ treatment of the work, noting one case in which the devil was costumed in red tights as he danced amidst the celestial choir at the prologue’s end.

Note: Following the final Sunday concert, Maestro Muti will sign the new CSO Resound release, “Bruckner 9” (and the complete CSO discography) in the Grainger Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public.