CSO's Riccardo Muti Is Out. Again.

By Amy Cavanaugh in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 20, 2013 8:00PM

If it seems that Riccardo Muti gets more attention for his illnesses than the work he does leading the CSO, that's because he does. The famously ailing conductor has been diagnosed with an inguinal hernia, which means he will miss the CSO's Asian tour that takes place January 25-February 7.

Muti, 71, returned to Italy last week after suffering from the flu, which caused him to miss two weeks of Chicago concerts. There, Muti was diagnosed with the hernia, which will require surgery as soon as he has recovered from the flu.

Conductor Lorin Maazel has stepped up to take over the tour, except for the January 25 and 26 concerts in Taipei, since he has a previously scheduled engagement with the New York Philharmonic, of which he is the former music director.

The other stops on the CSO's schedule are Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin, China; and Seoul, South Korea.

Muti is planning to return to Chicago in April.