Could conductors soon be as rare on the orchestra podium as they are on London buses?
When Riccardo Muti dropped out of Saturday's Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the very last minute with a stomach bug, the band simply played on - without him.
Swapping some scheduled items for a Mozart symphony they'd performed earlier in the week, and allowing soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter to flap her arms around a bit during the Beethoven Violin Concerto, the CSO not only coped but "showed their mettle with a refined and worthy performance" according to the Chicago Classical Review.
A new option for any orchestra faced with swingeing cuts?
(thanks to Muti fan Maria for the tip off)
UPDATE - Maria also sent this video, where Muti presciently tells a group of young musicians exactly why a conductor is not necessary:
