The Vatican Foundation “Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI” announced the awarding of the 2025 Ratzinger Prize to the Italian director Riccardo Muti, who will receive the distinction on December 12 from Pope Leo XIV. On the same occasion, the maestro—84 years old—will conduct a concert in homage to the Bishop of Rome, whose program has not yet been disclosed.
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The event marks Muti's return to the Vatican after more than a decade, as his last performance there took place in 2012; the first was in 1986, when he conducted Cherubini's Messe du Sacre.
The announcement also marks the resumption of a long tradition of concerts in the Vatican, interrupted during the pontificate of Pope Francis.
A tradition initiated in 1966
Concerts in the Vatican began in 1966, when the RAI Symphony Orchestra offered Saint Paul VI a symphonic evening in the Pius Auditorium. From then on, these musical encounters were held continuously, especially after the inauguration of the Paul VI Hall—designed by architect Pier Luigi Nervi—in 1971.
Among the most notable episodes is the performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis on May 23, 1970, in St. Peter's Basilica, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Saint Paul VI's priestly ordination. Over the years, Pope Montini showed great appreciation for composers such as Bach, Händel, Haydn, and Mozart, and maintained the custom of listening to classical music during his stay in Castel Gandolfo.
John Paul II and Benedict XVI: continuity in the Vatican’s musical life
Saint John Paul II, a lover of classical music since his youth, continued this tradition and attended numerous concerts of both sacred and popular repertoire. In 1985, Herbert von Karajan conducted Mozart's Missa de la Coronación during the papal Mass on June 29, an event that remains in memory for the presence of the celebrated Austrian conductor, who was already in fragile health at the time.
Benedict XVI, a musician and pianist, also promoted the presence of music in the Vatican and frequently participated in concerts in the Paul VI Hall and in Castel Gandolfo. On occasions, he even intervened in the selection of the repertoire, as when he requested Dvořák's Ninth Symphony “From the New World” for a concert conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
The interruption during the pontificate of Pope Francis
The continuity of this tradition was interrupted on June 22, 2013, when Pope Francis did not attend a concert scheduled for the Year of Faith. His absence—announced minutes before the start—caused surprise among the attendees and was interpreted as a change in approach regarding musical life in the Vatican.
Since then, the celebration of concerts in the presence of the Pontiff ceased to be part of the ordinary life of the Holy See.
A significant return under Leo XIV
Leo XIV's upcoming presence at the awarding of the Ratzinger Prize and at the concert conducted by Riccardo Muti symbolizes the return of this cultural tradition. The event is presented as a gesture of continuity with the Holy See's historical appreciation for classical music and a new impetus after years of absence of papal concerts.
During the ceremony, it is expected that the Pope will deliver a speech, thus resuming a custom maintained by his predecessors, who used to reflect on the spiritual and anthropological value of music.