Riccardo Muti/New Philharmonia Orchestra

Conductor Riccardo Muti has been regarded as the Toscanini of the present day. But 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, and capitalizes on his youthful Italian glamour. Muti initially learned piano and violin under his father, a physician. He attended the Verdi Conservatory in Milan, studying composition with Bruno Bettinelli and conducting with Antonino Votti. Muti won the Guido Cantelli Conducting Competition in 1967. Thi...