Renowned Italian conductor Claudio Abbado passed away yesterday at the age of 80. You can read about his life here.
The greatest conductors know exactly what they want the music to sound like. Through unwavering conviction, they inspire the musicians of the orchestra to share their vision. Great conductors don’t practice in front of a mirror to put on a show. Every gesture embodies the essence of the piece in an honest way. All of this is on display in this clip of Abbado rehearsing the Berlin Philharmonic:
Here is Abbado conducting Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. The orchestra is the Lucerne Festival Orchestra:
- 0:55 – Traeurmarsch. In gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein
- 13:36 – Stürmisch bewegt. Mit grösster Vehemenz
- 28:20 – Scherzo. Kräftig, Nicht zu schnell
- 45:17 – Adagietto. Sehr langsam.
- 53:49 – Rondo-Finale. Allegro-Allegro giocoso. Frisch.
Culture is a shared primary and, like water: theaters, libraries, museums, movie theaters are as many aqueducts.-Claudio Abbado
In June 2012 in Paris at the Salle Pleyel, I had the privilege of attending a concert with Claudio Abbado conducting his Orchestra Mozart Bologna in a program of Beethoven and Schumann with guest Radu Lupo, piano. It was a magical evening to treasure.