“Barenboim’s appointment at La Scala, like the CSO’s recent appointment of Bernard Haitink as principal conductor and Pierre Boulez as conductor emeritus, buys the respective institutions time to fill two high-profile posts without rushing to make choices they might regret. Barenboim’s prominent role in La Scala’s future opens the door to a possible ascendancy to Muti’s former post somewhere down the line. A couple of major successes there could cinch it for him.”