The Abbado family for several generations enjoyed both wealth and respect in their community. Abbado's great-grandfather tarnished the family's reputation by gambling away the family fortune. His son, Abbado's grandfather, Michele Abbado, became a professor ofbotany at theUniversity of Turin.[2] He re-established the family's reputation and also showed talent as an amateur musician.[3]
Born inMilan,Italy on 26 June 1933,[4] Claudio Abbado was the son of violinist Michelangelo Abbado,[3] and the brother of the musicianMarcello Abbado (born 1926). His father, a professional violinist and a professor at theGiuseppe Verdi Conservatory, was his first piano teacher. His mother, Maria Carmela Savagnone, also was an adept pianist. Marcello Abbado later became a concert pianist, composer, and teacher at theRossini Conservatory inPesaro. His sister also exhibited talent in music but did not pursue a musical career after her marriage. His other brother later became a successful architect.[2][5]
Abbado's childhood encompassed the Nazi occupation of Milan. During that time, Abbado's mother spent time in prison for harbouring a Jewish child.[6] This period solidified his anti-fascist political sentiments. Claudio himself is known for having a famous anecdote about how when he was just eleven years old he wrote "VivaBartók" on a local wall which caught the attention of theGestapo and sent them on the hunt for the culprit. His passionate opposition to fascism continued into his adult years.[4]
During his youth his musical interest developed, attending performances at La Scala[3] as well as orchestral rehearsals in Milan led by such conductors asArturo Toscanini andWilhelm Furtwängler. He later recalled how he hated seeing Toscanini in rehearsal.[6] Other conductors who influenced him wereBruno Walter,Josef Krips andHerbert von Karajan.[7] It was upon hearingAntonio Guarnieri's conducting ofClaude Debussy'sNocturnes that Abbado resolved to become a conductor himself.[3] At age 15, Abbado first metLeonard Bernstein when Bernstein was conducting a performance featuring Abbado's father as a soloist.[8] Bernstein commented, "You have the eye to be a conductor."[9]
In 1969, Abbado became the principal conductor atLa Scala. Subsequently, he became the company's music director in 1972. He took the title of joint artistic director, along withGiorgio Strehler andCarlo Maria Badini, in 1976.[3] During his tenure, he extended the opera season to four months, and focused on giving inexpensive performances for the working class and students. In addition to the standard opera repertoire, he presented contemporary operas, including works ofLuigi Dallapiccola and ofLuigi Nono, in particular, the world premiere of Nono'sAl gran sole carico d'amore. In 1976, he brought the La Scala company to the US for its American debut inWashington, D.C. for theAmerican Bicentennial.[15] In 1982, he founded theFilarmonica della Scala for the performance of orchestral repertoire by the house orchestra in concert. Abbado remained affiliated with La Scala until 1986.[16][17]
On 7 October 1968, Abbado made his debut with theMetropolitan Opera withDon Carlo. He began to work more extensively with theVienna Philharmonic (VPO) after 1971,[18] which included two engagements as conductor of the orchestra's New Year's Day concert, in 1988 and 1991. He was a recipient of both the Philharmonic Ring and the Golden Nicolai Medal from theVienna Philharmonic.[19]
He served as Principal Guest Conductor of theLondon Symphony Orchestra (LSO)[20] from 1975 to 1979 and became its Principal Conductor in 1979,[16][9] a post he held until 1987. (He was also the LSO's Music Director from 1984 until the end of his principal conductor tenure.)[21] From 1982 to 1985, he was principal guest conductor of theChicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). In 1986, Abbado became theGeneralmusikdirektor (GMD) of the city of Vienna, and in parallel, was music director of theVienna State Opera from 1986 to 1991.[16][8] During his tenure as GMD in Vienna, in 1988, he founded the music festivalWien Modern. There he backed numerous contemporary composers includingGyörgy Ligeti,Pierre Boulez, andLuigi Nono.[4]
Abbado first conducted theBerlin Philharmonic in December 1966. In the late 1980s it was suspected that he might become music director of the New York Philharmonic.[4] However, after appearances as a guest conductor, in 1989, the Berlin Philharmonic elected him as its chief conductor and artistic director, in succession toHerbert von Karajan.[16][22] During his Berlin tenure, Abbado oversaw an increased presence of contemporary music in the orchestra's programming, in contrast to Karajan who had focused on late Romantic works.[23] In 1992, he co-founded 'Berlin Encounters', achamber music festival.[16][9] In 1994, he became artistic director of theSalzburg Easter Festival.[16][24] In 1998, he announced his departure from the Berlin Philharmonic after the expiration of his contract in 2002.[25] Before his departure, he was diagnosed withstomach cancer in 2000,[26] which led to his cancellation of a number of engagements with the orchestra. Subsequent medical treatment led to the removal of a portion of his digestive system,[13] and he cancelled his conducting activities for 3 months in 2001.[27]
In 2004, Abbado returned to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic for the first time since his departure as chief conductor, for concerts of Mahler'sSymphony No. 6 recorded live for commercial release.[28][29] The resulting CD won Best Orchestral Recording and Record of the Year inGramophone magazine's 2006awards. The Orchestra Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic established theClaudio Abbado Kompositionspreis (Claudio Abbado Composition Prize) in his honour, which has since been awarded in 2006, 2010 and 2014.[30]
In addition to his work with long-established ensembles, Abbado founded a number of new orchestras with younger musicians at their core. These included the European Community Youth Orchestra (later theEuropean Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO)), in 1978, and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (GMJO; Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra) in (1988).[16][31] In both instances, musicians from the respective youth orchestras founded spinoff orchestras, theChamber Orchestra of Europe (COE) and theMahler Chamber Orchestra, respectively. Abbado worked with both these ensembles regularly as well and was artistic advisor to the COE, though he did not hold a formal title with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. In turn, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra formed the core of the newest incarnation of theLucerne Festival Orchestra, which Abbado and Michael Haefliger of the Lucerne Festival established in the early 2000s, and which featured musicians from various orchestras with which Abbado had long-standing artistic relationships.[13][32] From 2004 until his death, Abbado was the musical and artistic director of theOrchestra Mozart,Bologna, Italy.[33] In addition to his work with the EUYO and the GMJO, Abbado worked with theOrquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar of Venezuela.[34]
The grave in 2024 with the Fex-valley in the background.
Abbado died fromstomach cancer in Bologna on 20 January 2014 at the age of 80. One week later, in tribute to him, the orchestra "Filarmonica della Scala", conducted byDaniel Barenboim, performed the slow movement ofBeethoven'sSymphony No. 3 (Marcia funebre: Adagio assai in C minor) to an empty theatre, with the performance relayed to a crowd in the square in front of the opera house and live-streamed via La Scala's website.[35]
Abbado's mortal remains were cremated and an urn with a part of his ashes was buried at the cemetery of the 15th-century chapel ofFex-Crasta in theVal Fex. It is a part of the municipality ofSils-Maria, a village in theSwiss canton ofGraubünden where Abbado had a vacation home.[36][37]
His musical estate was transferred to theBerlin State Library where it is being catalogued and digitised.[38]
From his first marriage in 1956 to singer Giovanna Cavazzoni, Abbado had two children: Daniele Abbado (born 1958), who became an opera director and Alessandra (born 1959). His first marriage was dissolved.[11][39] From his second marriage, to Gabriella Cantalupi, Abbado had a son, Sebastiano. His four-year relationship withViktoria Mullova resulted in Mullova's first child, a son,[11][40] thejazz bassist, Misha Mullov-Abbado.[41] Abbado's nephew, the son of his brother, Marcello, is the conductorRoberto Abbado.
Amongst a wide range ofRomantic works which he recorded and performed, Abbado had a particular affinity with the music ofGustav Mahler, whose symphonies he recorded several times. Despite this, he never managed to complete a cycle with a single orchestra: in a mix of studio and concert releases, he recorded Symphonies 1–2 and 5–7 in Chicago, Symphonies 2–4, 9 and the Adagio from 10 in Vienna, Symphonies 1 and 3–9 in Berlin, and Symphonies 1–7 and 9 in Lucerne. A planned Eighth in Lucerne (the intended culmination of his traversal of the symphonies there) had to be cancelled owing to his ill health. The symphony was finally performed and recorded in 2016 underRiccardo Chailly as a tribute to Abbado.[42] A further Tenth Adagio recorded live in Berlin in 2011 was issued as part of a Berliner Philharmoniker Mahler set in 2020.
Abbado tended to speak very little in rehearsal, sometimes using the simple request to orchestras to "Listen".[6] This was a reflection of his preference for communication as a conductor via physical gesture and the eyes, and his perception that orchestras did not like conductors who spoke a great deal in rehearsal.[19]Clive Gillinson characterised Abbado's style as follows:
"...he basically doesn't say anything in rehearsals, and speaks so quietly, because he's so shy, so people can get bored. But it works because everyone knows the performances are so great. I've never known anybody more compelling. He's the most natural conductor in the world. Some conductors need to verbally articulate what they want through words, but Claudio just shows it, just does it."[14]
In performance, Abbado often conducted from memory,[43] as he himself noted:
"...it is indispensable to know the score perfectly and be familiar with the life, the works and the entire era of the composer. I feel more secure without a score. Communication with the orchestra is easier."[19]
Prokofiev,Piano Concerto No. 3 /Ravel:Piano Concerto in G, recorded with Martha Argerich and Berlin Philharmonic, 1967 (DG, The Originals) [Abbado's first DG Album], winner of Grand Prix du Disque,Deutsche Schallplatenpreis,Gran Premio del Disco, Madrid
Rossini,Il Viaggio a Reims, live performance with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Prague Philharmonic Chorus, 1985 (DG), winner ofGramophone Classical Music Award - Opera
Rossini, Overtures, recorded with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, 1991 (DG)
Schubert, Symphonies No. 1-6, 8-9, studio recordings with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, 1988 (DG), winner ofGramophone Classical Music Award - Instrumental
Verdi,Macbeth, live performance with Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala, 1985 (DG, The Originals), winner ofOrphée d'or,Record Academy Prize Tokyo,Grand Prix Du Disque,Prix Mondial du disque de Montreux, "Premi della Criticia Discografica Italiana"
Verdi,Simon Boccanegra, studio recording with Teatro alla Scala, 1977 (DG, The Originals), winner ofGrand Prix du Disque,International Record Critics Award,Edison Award,Prix Caecitia, Brussels,Gran Premio del Disco, Madrid
Hearing the Silence (Documentary), Berliner Philharmoniker, Lucerne Festival Orchestra.[57]
"Beethoven, Symphonies 3 & 9, Berliner Philharmoniker." Euroarts, 2 DVD set. Symphony No. 3 performed by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecelia, Rome, February 2001. Symphony No. 9 performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker, May 2000 / August 2002, in Munich. The DVD of Symphony NO. 3 offers "Conductor Camera" sequences, in which the orchestra's view of the conductor may be selected. Symphony 9 performers includeKarita Mattila, soprano; Violetta Urmana, mezzo-soprano;Thomas Moser, tenor;Eike Wilm Schulte, baritone; theSwedish Radio Choir and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir; Chorus Master, Tönu Kaljuste.
Moritz, Charles; Lohr, Evelyn; Sloan, Henry; Dugan, Kieran, eds. (1974)."Abbado, Claudio".Current Biography Yearbook 1973. New York, NY: The H. W. Wilson Company. pp. 1–3.ISBN0-8242-0543-X.LCCN40027432.
Randel, Don Michael (1996)."Claudio Abbado".The Harvard biographical dictionary of music. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.ISBN0-674-37299-9.
Ross, Alex (22 October 2001)."Beethoven Unbound".The New Yorker. Vol. 77, no. 32. pp. 83–85.ISSN0028-792X. Archived fromthe original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved7 September 2014.
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