Muti debuts in Granada with Verdi, Falla and Ravel at the Alhambra

Italian conductor Riccardo Muti sets foot for the first time at the Granada Festival on June 28. On its 75th anniversary, he conducts a program featuring works by Verdi, Falla, and Ravel. The concert takes place at the Alhambra, offering the public a top-tier classical music evening. It is a historic event that combines heritage and art without needing to travel abroad.

Maestro Riccardo Muti conducting a symphony orchestra at sunset in the Patio de los Arrayanes of the Alhambra, an open Verdi score on a lit music stand, violins in the foreground as bows touch strings, golden reflections of the pond water on wooden instruments, warm stage lights contrasting with the violet sky, Nasrid towers in the background, cinematic photorealism with depth of field, Falla and Ravel scores visible on other stands, sweat on the conductor's forehead during an intense passage

How acoustics and logistics elevate the sound experience 🎵

The Alhambra is not just any auditorium. Its sound depends on the stage position and the wind. Festival technicians adjust the orchestra's layout to minimize the natural reverberation of the Nasrid walls. Additionally, a directional sound reinforcement system is installed to avoid disturbing residents of the Albaicín. Muti, known for his exacting standards, reviews every detail so that Verdi sounds clean and Ravel does not get lost among the columns.

What Muti doesn't say: the sweat under the tailcoat in June 🌡️

Let no one be fooled: Muti will sweat under the burgundy tailcoat while conducting. June in Granada is not merciful, and the Alhambra has no air conditioning. The orchestra musicians will have to balance carefully to avoid slipping from sweat on the podium. That said, the audience can boast of having stoically endured the heat for art. Culture, as we know, is also thermal resistance.