Riccardo Muti
Wolf Prize Laureate in Music 2000
Riccardo Muti
Award citation:
“one of the most outstanding conductors of our time”.
Prize share:
Riccardo Muti
Pierre Boulez
Riccardo Muti is one of the most outstanding conductors of his times. His musical charisma brings excitement to concert halls and opera houses His creative activities have found expression beyond the boundaries of the domain of music. Muti constitutes one of the most important links in the chain of development of the image of the conductor, whose interpretation of the masterpieces of symphonic music and opera enriches the contemporary world of music. He belongs to the rare breed of conductors, representing the great tradition of interpreters of musical oevres, that has developed from the Baroque era to the present day. What is more, he embellishes this tradition with extraordinary creativity and a freshly rich imagination.
Muti’s activity reaches beyond the realm of concert halls and opera houses. As a conductor he is always first in bringing the humanitarian message of music in moments of crisis. Thus, he came with his La Scala Opera Orchestra to Kosovo and on another occasion to Jerusalem, in support of the peace process. Muti has gained a reputation as the conductor who initiated the founding of a musical therapy center for children with special needs. At the same time he kept encouraging young orchestras and musicians to excel in the fields of composition, instrumental performance and singing.
