Claudio Abbado

Claudio Abbado gave his conducting debut in 1960 in the Teatro alla Scala in his native city of Milan, and was musical director of the house from 1968 to 1986. From 1986 to 1991 Claudio Abbado was Musical Director of the Vienna State Opera, and from 1987 General Musical Director of the city of Vienna. In 1988 he initiated the festival "Wien modern" in Vienna.
Claudio Abbado conducted the Berlin Philharmonic for the first time in 1966, before becoming its permanent conductor and artistic director from 1989-2002. The music of the 20th century became a firm feature of his programme planning, alongside Classic and Romantic works. In 1994 he took over the artistic direction of the Salzburg Easter Festival, adding to it a series of contemporary music concerts as well as composition and literary prizes.
The support of young musical talent was always of special concern for Claudio Abbado. In 1978 he founded the European Union Youth Orchestra, in 1981 the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and in 1986 the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, in 1997 the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and in 2004 the Mozart Orchestra for the promotion of young talent.
In 2003 Claudio Abbado reinstated the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, which consists of international soloists and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and with whom he works regularly.
Abbado’s numerous CD recordings include the complete symphonic works of Beethoven, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Ravel, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, as well as works by Verdi, Rossini, Mozart and Wagner. His recordings won many prizes, e.g. the Grammy Award, the Grand Prix International du Disque, the Diapason d’or, the Japanese Record Academy Prize, the Stella d’oro, the Orphée d’or and the Grand Prix de la Nouvelle Académie.
Claudio Abbado has been the recipient of many awards, including the Freud Award, the Gold Medal of the International Gustav Mahler Society, the Honorary Ring (1973) and the Nicolai Gold Medal (1980) of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Mozart Medal, the Mahler Medal and the Honorary Ring of the city of Vienna, as well as the Great Golden Mark of Honour of the Republic of Austria. He received the Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana and the Medaglia d’oro for his services to art and culture, also the Grand Croix der Légion d’Honneur in France and the Ernst von Siemens Music Award in Germany. He has honorary doctorates from the universities in Cambridge, Aberdeen, Ferrara and Basilicata. In 1999 he was awarded the Premio Nonino, in 2001 he was voted "Conductor of the Year" by German music critics and received the Würth Prize of the Jeunesses Musicales. In March 2002 Abbado was awarded the German critics’ prize.
In April 2002 he was awarded the Great Cross with Star of the Order of Merit for his services to the cultural life of the German capital Berlin. In 2003 he received the "Praemium Imperiale" of the Japan Art Association, the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Italian critics’ award "Franco Abbiati". He has been an honorary citizen of Lucerne since 2005.
In recognition of his services in support of young musicians Claudio Abbado was made Honorary Senator of the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin in February 1997.
 
8/2008