Riccardo Muti/Filarmonica della Scala

Conductor Riccardo Muti has been regarded as the Toscanini of the present day. Not just a Toscanini-style taskmaster who preaches fidelity to the score and presides over intense, hard-driven performances, Muti insists on beautiful tone as well as disciplined ensemble, capitalizing on a youthful (even in old age) Italian glamour. In 2025, Muti led the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert for the seventh time. The release of the recording of that concert continued a remarkable recording career that dates back well into the LP era. Muti was born in Naples on July 28, 1941. H...