The great Italian conductor in the news these days is Riccardo Muti. It was recently announced that Muti had accepted the job of music director of one of the world’s finest orchestras, the Chicago Symphony. By general agreement in the musical world both the Chicago Symphony and Riccardo Muti had made wise choices. There is, however, another Italian conductor whom some regard even more highly than Muti; this is Claudio Abbado, eight years Muti’s senior – Abbado will be 75 this year – and like Muti, a former music director of La Scala (1968-86).

Leading and Leaving The Berlin Philharmonic
Abbado is not looking for work. When he succeeded Karajan as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic in 1989, it was considered to be an appointment for life; unfortunately, fate took a hand and he was forced to relinquish the post in 2002.

Abbado’s trouble started in the summer of 2000, when he had to have major surgery for stomach cancer. He cancelled all appearances for the next three months. It then became clear that he was going to have to drastically cut back his activities. He gave up all his full-time appointments and limited himself to occasional guest conducting. His doctors advised him that northern Italy’s cold winters – Abbado makes his home in Bologna  – would be detrimental to his health and he began to spend January, February and March in Caracas, Venezuela. While in Caracas he conducts the now famous Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra and makes short trips to nearby Cuba for guest conducting.

Abbado’s Lucerne Festival Orchestra A Magical Mix
Three years after his surgery, in the summer of 2003, Abbado created the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, a unique all-star ensemble that soon became widely admired. Forming the core of the orchestra are the Mahler Chamber Orchestra – another Abbado creation – and the Hagen Quartet along with a long list of well-known soloists and members of orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic who welcome the opportunity to play regularly with Abbado. The principal clarinetist is Sabine Meyer, well established as a soloist and Karajan’s controversial choice to sit in the Berlin Philharmonic as its first female principal player. The principal oboist is Albrecht Mayer of the Berlin Philharmonic and the principal flutist is Jacques Zoon, formerly of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The principal trombonist is Mark Templeton from the London Philharmonic and the principal trumpet is the virtuoso soloist Reinhold Friedrich.

The Lucerne Festival Orchestra was created to play two concerts at the festival each year with Abbado. In time the orchestra began to receive invitations to travel and started to give a few more concerts in other places shortly after the Lucerne Festival. In the fall of 2007, Abbado and the orchestra were to appear in New York for several concerts. Abbado took ill but the orchestra went anyway and played the concerts under other conductors. Clearly, it is going to be difficult for the Lucerne Festival Orchestra to travel extensively with the conductor who created it.

Cornucopia of New CDs and DVDs Being Released for Abbado’s 75th!
Fortunately, all Lucerne Festival Orchestra concerts with Abbado are being filmed and released on DVD. Mahler’s Second “Resurrection”, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Symphonies have already been released. These are all wonderful performances, destined to become classics.

Abbado has become a Mahler conductor of great insight and his players are so good and so committed as to be beyond criticism. I have a special regard for the 2003 performance of the Symphony No. 2 because of the incredible singing of the Orfeon Donostiarra from Spain. The Symphony No. 6 from 2006 is remarkable for its depth of expression and almost unbearable anguish in the final pages. After the last note has sounded Abbado stands motionless, obviously completely drained, perhaps even on the verge of collapse. It is at least a full minute before he can compose himself and turn to the audience. All of these recordings have been issued by Euroarts on DVD. In addition, a new label has been created called LUCERNE FESTIVAL EDITION to issue CDs of other performances by Abbado and the orchestra. The first one to be issued is the Bruckner Symphony No. 4 recorded live in Tokyo in 2006.

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection”
Orfeon Donostiarra/Lucerne Festival Orchestra/Abbado
Euroarts 2053268 (DVD)

Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Lucerne Festival Orchestra/Abbado
Euroarts 2055649

Abbado is conserving his strength these days but still taking on new projects. He recently conducted Beethoven’s opera “Fidelio” in a production that traveled from Italy to Spain and Germany, and next month he will be at home in Bologna conducting another orchestra he founded – Orchestra Mozart – in music of Pergolesi and Mozart. At the Lucerne Festival in August he will conduct the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in music of Debussy, Ravel, Berlioz (“Symphonie Fantastique”), Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Stravinsky, with some repeats of these programs in Vienna.

In honor of Abbado’s 75th birthday Deutsche Grammophon is issuing nearly 20 new CDs including a Beethoven Symphony Cycle (DG4775864) with the Berlin Philharmonic based on performances given in Rome in 2001, a Beethoven Piano Concerto Cycle with Pollini (DG4777244) and Mozart Symphonies (DG4777598) and Violin Concertos (DG4777371) with Giuliano Carmignola and Orchestra Mozart.

Also being released is a DVD set:

CLAUDIO ABBADO IN CONCERT
Music by Mozart, Schubert, Brahms and Rossini originally recorded by UNITEL
DG0734442 (2 DVDs)

Of special interest to Abbado admirers is another DVD released a few years ago and which features an interview with Abbado. The director is Paul Smaczny who also directs the Lucerne Festival Orchestra concerts for DVD.

HEARING THE SILENCE
Euroarts 2053278 (DVD)

For more information about Abbado and his activities visit Club Abbadiani Itineranti.

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