Abbado conducting the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in 2004 in the finale of Mahler's Ninth Symphony
Born and raised in Milan, Abbado studied with Hans Swarowsky in Vienna. He made his La Scala debut in 1960 and was the house’s music director from 1968 to 1986. He headed the Vienna State Opera (1986-91), London Symphony Orchestra (1979-87) and succeeded Herbert von Karajan at the helm of the Berlin Philharmonic (1989-2002). He founded the European Union Youth Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and re-established the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, and is closely associated with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Recently he has started working with the period-instrument Orchestra Mozart of Bologna.
Abbado: a tribute by Douglas Boyd
I think that what makes Claudio a great artist is his humanity, his extraordinary ability to change the sounds of the orchestra just with a gesture, and an incredible focus on the concert. In other words, the rehearsal is just a process and everything – all the energy – goes into the concert itself.
At their best, his performances can be life-changing. In addition, he’s always got the big picture in view – the large concept and landscape of a piece – in a way that is quite unique to him. In my youth orchestra days, Mahler symphonies with him were quite extraordinary. But I think that another important aspect about Claudio in terms of repertoire is that he continues to grow and develop, which is the sign of a great artist.
If you listen, for example, to his Beethoven and Mozart recordings today compared to his Beethoven and Mozart of 30 years ago, there is an unbelievable transformation and a continuing growth, which comes through a mix of his fascination with performance practices that have emerged in the past 30 years and his own fantasy and imagination.'
Born in Milan, Italy, Abbado is the son of the violinist and composer Michelangelo Abbado, who was his first piano teacher, and the brother of musician Marcello Abbado. After studying piano, composition, and conducting at the Milan Conservatory, at age 16, in 1955 Claudio Abbado studied conducting with Hans Swarowsky at the Vienna Academy of Music. He also spent time at the Chigiana Academy at Siena. In 1958 he won the international Serge Koussevitsky Competition for conductors, at the Tanglewood Music Festival, which resulted in a number of operatic conducting engagements in Italy, and in 1963 he won the Dimitri Mitropoulos Prize for conductors, allowing him to work for five months with the New York Philharmonic
Mahler, Symphony No. 9 - IV. Adagio (Claudio Abbado, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra
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