Claudio Abbado

Claudio Abbado was a premier Italian conductor of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. A conductor is a musician who directs the performance of an orchestra or opera company. Abbado was considered one of the most influential musical leaders of his generation. He held leadership roles at several of the world's most prestigious institutions. These included the La Scala opera house in Milan and the Berlin Philharmonic. He also served as the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. His leadership helped shape the sound of many famous musical ensembles.

Music was deeply embedded in Abbado's family history and early education. His father, Michelangelo Abbado, was a professional violinist and a professor. His mother, Maria Carmela Savagnone, was also an adept pianist. Claudio began his musical training with the piano under his father's instruction. He later studied piano, composition, and conducting at the Milan Conservatory. He earned a degree in piano in 1955. To further his skills, he moved to the Vienna Academy of Music in 1956. There, he studied conducting under Hans Swarowsky. He even joined the academy chorus to observe great conductors in rehearsal.

Abbado's childhood was marked by the political tension of the Nazi occupation of Milan. This period influenced his lifelong anti-fascist political sentiments. His mother was even imprisoned for harboring a Jewish child during this time. As a young boy of eleven, Abbado wrote "Viva Bartók" on a local wall. This act of defiance drew the attention of the Gestapo. These experiences shaped his character as he entered the professional music world. His musical path was solidified after hearing Antonio Guarnieri conduct Claude Debussy's *Nocturnes*. This specific performance inspired him to pursue conducting as a career.

His professional rise was marked by several significant international competitions and debuts. In 1958, he made his conducting debut in Trieste. That same summer, he won the Serge Koussevitzky Competition at the Tanglewood Music Festival. This victory led to many operatic engagements throughout Italy. In 1960, he made his debut at La Scala. He later won the Dimitri Mitropoulos Prize in 1963. This award allowed him to assist Leonard Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic. Bernstein famously remarked that Abbado had "the eye to be a conductor."

Abbado's career at La Scala was transformative for the institution. He became the principal conductor in 1969 and the music director in 1972. He also served as a joint artistic director starting in 1976. During his time there, he extended the opera season to four months. He focused on making music accessible by offering inexpensive performances. These were intended for students and the working class. He also championed contemporary music by presenting world premieres, such as Luigi Nono's *Al gran sole carico d'amore*. In 1982, he founded the Filarmonica della Scala to perform orchestral works.

In 1989, Abbado reached a major milestone when he was elected chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. He succeeded Herbert von Karajan in this role. While Karajan often focused on late Romantic works, Abbado increased the orchestra's focus on contemporary music. He held this position until 2002. He also founded several organizations to support younger musicians. These included the European Union Youth Orchestra in 1978 and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in 1988. These groups eventually led to the creation of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Abbado was particularly noted for his interpretations of the composer Gustav Mahler. He recorded many of Mahler's symphonies with various orchestras. He recorded Symphonies 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 in Chicago. In Vienna, he recorded Symphonies 2, 3, 4, and 9. With the Berlin Philharmonic, he recorded Symphonies 1 and 3 through 9. Finally, in Lucerne, he recorded Symphonies 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9. His musical style was often characterized by his quiet presence. He tended to speak very little during rehearsals.

In his later years, Abbado faced significant health challenges. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2000. This led to the cancellation of many engagements. He eventually underwent surgery to remove part of his digestive system. Despite his illness, he returned to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic in 2004. His recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 6 won several awards, including Record of the Year from *Gramophone* magazine. Abbado died in Bologna on January 20, 2014, at the age of 80. To honor him, the Filarmonica della Scala performed a tribute in an empty theater.