As far as I know, Muti's time with Philadelphia was mixed.  From what
I gather, he tried very hard to change the Philadelphia sound from what
it was under Ormandy.  In doing so, he split the orchestra.  Many of the
carryover players left.  In time, Sawallisch would come in and calm the
waters.  At least that's how I heard it.

He's made some decent recordings.  (Never heard him live that I can
remember.) Many have been mentioned here.  I'd add Liszt's Faust Symphony,
a fair amount opera, too, e.g., Verdi Requiem (in a matter of speaking),
Macbeth.  A few others.

A bit of a slasher, given to fast tempos.  Kind of like Levine used to
be.  Someone remarked on how odd the appointment to Chicago is.  It does
seem so, but it might be interesting to see where Muti is at these days.
It should be obvious from this post that I've not exactly followed his
career.

Roger Hecht

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