Here is a wonderful story, proving that old-school conductor tantrums and aristocratic patronage are still alive and well in the 21st century. Riccardo Muti, one of the world's most expensive and sought-after conductors – and certainly the sexagenerian maestro with the best hair - has cancelled his engagement with the Philharmonia to play at Prince Charles's 60th birthday bash. The event at Buckingham Palace on Thursday is expected to have 450 royals, politicians, dignitaries and hangers-on in attendance.
The Philharmonia is Charles's house band: he is their patron (and "incredibly supportive", according to the Philharmonia), and the orchestra provided the music for his wedding to Camilla at St George's Chapel. Must be nice to have your own orchestra to play for you.
But it looks like the Queen and Charles were upset with Muti over the musical content of the programme – it was too long, "complicated" and "inappropriate", according to the Mail on Sunday's source. ("Logistical difficulties" is what the official statement from the Philharmonia and Buckingham Palace says.) Alas, each side in the argument has been unwilling to give an inch.
It's not surprising, really: Muti, who transformed La Scala in the 80s and 90s, and had a galvanising effect on the Philharmonia when he was their principal conductor in the 70s, is not a maestro to be messed with, however blue your blood. He resigned from La Scala three years ago and is known as one of the last great authoritarians of the podium. He was never going to have his musical judgment questioned by a couple of dilettantes. The Philharmonia wouldn't tell me what was included in Muti's original programme (a nice, festive Bruckner 2, a Muti speciality, maybe? Or excerpts from Verdi's searing exploration of internecine royal conflict, Don Carlos?) but Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory almost certainly weren't on the playlist.
The spat goes deeper than musical questions, since Muti made the cardinal error of ruining the family surprise: in September, he let the cat out of the bag that the Queen had chosen him for the Prince's concert, when Her Majesty wanted to keep it secret. It's not all bad news for Charles, though. Instead of a full-scale concert conducted by one of the world's most respected conductors, it seems the Prince will celebrate his seventh decade with some chamber music led by Christopher Warren-Green, whose hair, at least, is almost as impressive as Muti's.
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