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Carlo Maria Giulini

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Carlo Maria Giulini was a renowned Italian conductor who shaped the musical world for over five decades. A conductor is a leader who directs the performance of an orchestra through physical gestures. Giulini was celebrated for bringing a deep spiritual intensity to religious works and a sense of perfectionism to opera.

CMGiulini
CMGiulini

His career lasted 54 years, from his early days in Italy to his retirement in 1998. He was a figure of great influence, leading some of the most prestigious musical institutions in the world.

Giulini's musical journey began in Bolzano, where he was moved by the sounds of local town bands. At age five, he received a violin for Christmas and studied rapidly with local instructors. His talent was noticed by the violinist Remy Principe, who invited him to study at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome. At the conservatory, Giulini undertook a rigorous education. He studied the viola, composition, and the art of conducting. By age 18, he joined the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia as a violist. He won his position in the orchestra's last desk, a moment that brought him great joy.

Marcella de Girolami and Carlo Maria Giulini 1965
Marcella de Girolami and Carlo Maria Giulini 1965

His professional path was interrupted by the hardships of World War II. Giulini was a pacifist, meaning he believed that war and violence were wrong. Despite his beliefs, he was drafted into the Italian army and served as a second lieutenant in Croatia. Because of his commitment to pacifism, he refused to fire his weapon at human targets. In 1943, as the situation in Rome became dangerous, Giulini went into hiding to avoid further conflict. He lived for nine months in a tunnel beneath a home owned by his wife's uncle. During this time, he lived alongside friends and a Jewish family who were also avoiding arrest. While in hiding, he married his longtime girlfriend, Marcella de Girolami. They remained married until her death in 1995.

Following the liberation of Rome in 1944, Giulini's conducting career flourished. He was chosen to lead the Accademia's first post-Fascist concert on July 16, 1944. For this performance, he conducted Brahms's Symphony No. 4, a piece he would later perform 180 times. He held several leadership roles, including music director of the Chamber Orchestra of Rome and principal conductor of the RAI Orchestra. He also helped found the Milan Radio Orchestra in 1949. These roles allowed him to build the skills necessary to lead the world's most famous ensembles.

Giulini was also a significant figure in the world of opera. He conducted his first staged opera, La traviata, in Bergamo in 1950. His success led him to the famous La Scala opera house in Italy. He served as its music director from 1953 to 1958. During this time, he worked with legendary singers like Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi. However, Giulini had a very strong artistic vision. He sometimes disagreed with how operas were staged or managed. Because he did not want to compromise his musical standards, he eventually moved away from opera to focus almost entirely on orchestral works.

As a guest conductor, Giulini traveled the globe to work with premier orchestras. He had a 23-year association with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, serving as its principal guest conductor from 1969 to 1972. He also served as the music director of the Vienna Symphony from 1973 to 1976. In the United States, he was the principal conductor and music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1978 to 1984. His influence extended to the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He was a master of many different styles, from the symphonies of Mozart and Beethoven to the complex works of Mahler and Bruckner.

His musical legacy is preserved through many important recordings, many of which were released by the Deutsche Grammophon label. He received numerous prestigious honors for his work. These included several Grammy Awards for best classical albums, best orchestral performance, and best choral performance. He also won a Gramophone Award in 1981 for his recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto. Giulini died in Brescia, Italy, at the age of 91. His life remains a testament to how discipline, belief, and a deep love for art can leave a lasting mark on history.

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