By Anthony Tommasini

When Riccardo Muti learned that I would be attending his concert here with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Friday afternoon he earnestly invited me to drop backstage afterward — first, so we could finally meet, but also so he could tell me all about Giuseppe Martucci.

Though his works are seldom played by American orchestras, Martucci (1856-1909) was a rarity among Italian composers in having never written an opera. This Chicago program included the orchestra's first performance of Martucci's "La Canzone dei Ricordi" ("The Song of Memories"), a 30-minute song cycle, featuring the mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, who learned of the piece from Mr. Muti, who coached her through it.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/