WOWZERS! If you can wrangle a ticket – and hit a restroom beforehand (since the performance runs 90 minutes without break) – do not miss the Verdi Requiem with The Philadelphia Orchestra this weekend. Last night’s performance was nothing short of sublime. Chorus and orchestra were impeccable and the execution riveting. Riccardo Muti, Philadelphia’s former music director (from 1980 to 1992), returned after many years to remind everyone just how thrilling he could be in the right repertoire. Muti brought an authority to the podium that, for good or bad, seems to be notably lacking in these days of chummy, everyman conductors. The audience welcomed him with a standing ovation and was unusually attentive throughout. Cell phones remained silent, perhaps for the fear of God (both literally and metaphorically). The last time Muti conducted in Philadelphia was in 2005. Speaking as someone who’s already cleared the bar on monumental, bladder-challenging concerts of both Bruckner and Mahler in Philadelphia this season, I have to say that this one was on another level entirely. An absorbing, at times overwhelming experience.

https://philorch.ensembleartsphilly.org/tickets-and-events/2024-25-season/riccardo-muti-leads-verdis-requiem