The last of this summer’s installment of the three-year cycle of Mozart piano concerto series conducted by James Conlon will actually be Conlon’s last Ravinia concert of the summer, and he will be missed as the Chicago Symphony heads into a rather rudderless season without a music director. You would think that the CSO powers that be would rush to offer Conlon the job, but the political distance between Ravinia management and CSO management is too wide for this to be an attractive option. Meanwhile, enjoy an “early” piano concerto, No. 14 (always a silly designation when a guy dies at 35), K. 449, and a “late” and popular concerto, No. 23, K. 488—both with Mexican pianist Jorge Federico Osorio— but the real highlight of the afternoon will be a rare CSO performance of the Serenade, K. 375, one of Mozart’s most beloved scores that will showcase the CSO wind section at its most eloquent and which is perfect outdoor summer music. (Dennis Polkow)
July 30 at Ravinia Festival, Lake-Cook and Green Bay Rds., Highland Park, (847)266-5100. 5pm. $10-$20
Scenes From A Season: An Inside Look at a Year with Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Walking out onto the stage last September, Muti was receiving his first applause at Orchestra Hall in over nineteen months. The celebrated Italian-born music director of the CSO, who had turned eighty two months earlier, was clearly moved. What made the acclamation unusual was that the hall was empty. The orchestra itself was providing heartfelt and sustained applause, greeting Muti…
A Positive Light: The Soul Children of Chicago Sing "O-o-h Child" at Chicago Live! The Chicago Live! concerts coincide with the last weekend of “State of Sound: A World of Music from Illinois” music exhibit. As a sendoff, the Soul Children of Chicago will sing “O-o-h Child” in tribute to this socially significant Chicago song. The thirty-piece choir has been rehearsing the song for a month and the pier audience will be encouraged to…
