Chiara Muti: From Mozart’s Rehearsals to Directing Her Father and a Life in the Theater
A childhood steeped in music and theater, ignited by a formative experience with Strehler’s The Marriage of Figaro, has shaped the remarkable career of Chiara Muti, a director now helming productions alongside her renowned father, Riccardo Muti.
At just eight years old, Muti was granted a rare glimpse behind the curtain, attending rehearsals of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro led by Strehler and conducted by her father. “It was love at first sight,” she recalled to La Stampa, a passion that propelled her from a love of music to a fascination with theater-in-the-round and ultimately, enrollment at the Piccolo school. She described Strehler, a former violinist himself, as a “failed conductor,” but also as a captivating figure.
According to Muti, Strehler was “Fantastic, even if his harshness wouldn’t surpass current respectability.” He immersed himself in the process, physically shaping the actors, appearing as “a shadow that suddenly entered us.” His focus extended beyond the lines themselves, delving into the characters’ relationships, unspoken emotions, and the nuances of expression. “After all, the director’s job is to bring out what is hidden between the lines, just as the musician searches for what is between the notes,” she explained.
Muti’s career has uniquely intertwined with her father’s, culminating in the opportunity to direct him. “He called me for Sancta Susanna and I didn’t think I was ready, but he understood that my work could lead to opera direction,” she confessed. Riccardo Muti, she says, has always fostered her independence. While her brothers pursued careers in Architecture and Law, their paths indirectly fueled her dedication to the theater. Their collaborations have since expanded to include Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and Manon Lescaut, with plans to film Don Giovanni in Japan and a current revival of Macbeth.
She characterizes her father as “true and humble,” acknowledging a perceived sternness that masks a demanding but deeply prepared nature. “Even today he arrives very prepared,” Muti noted. “If he has to remake Macbeth for the umpteenth time, he will start it from scratch and delve deeper into it. This is his teaching.”
Currently residing in France, Muti finds solace in the countryside at the foot of the Pyrenees. Her life there is a blend of artistic pursuits and family life. Her pianist husband practices in the study, she immerses herself in scores in the library, and their daughter’s requests for homework assistance echo from downstairs. The family has even bestowed names upon the oaks in the forest, with “Marie Antoinette” holding a special place in Muti’s heart. Her daughter attends high school in France, navigating the challenges of adolescence alongside the ubiquitous presence of technology. “A truly demonic instrument,” Muti quipped, referencing smartphones, a theme she explored through the extensive use of screens in her production of Guillaume Tell at La Scala. She believes the essential parental struggle lies in fostering a love of books over the allure of constant connectivity.
