Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Abbado eased Berlin Philharmonic's transition in post-Karajan era
.jpg?w=728)
Claudio Abbado, who died Monday at the age of 80, was one of the most respected conductors of his generation. / Courtesy of Universal Music
By Do Je-hae
By Do Je-hae
Was there ever a conductor as unanimously admired as Claudio Abbado?
On and off the stage, he was a man of humble disposition and warm personality. These venerable qualities, not always associated with conductors of such immense fame, are all the more reason he was so loved by the classical music community and music aficionados alike.
In an article in the Berliner Morgenpost following the announcement of Abbado’s death, Monday, the Berlin Philharmonic’s solo oboist Albrecht Mayer recalled some of his early memories of the Italian conductor. In 1989, Abbado arrived at the Philharmonie, the orchestra’s home, to take over after the near 35-year reign of the iconic Herbert von Karajan. Abbado is credited with guiding musicians through the leadership transition with whole-hearted communication in the post-Karajan era at the top German orchestra.
“He did not want me to call him maestro,” Mayer said. “He wanted me to call him Claudio.” This was unthinkable during the Karajan era. “It was a revolution. Claudio was like a musical father to me.” One of the most lauded oboists of his generation, Mayer was one of the musicians hired during the early years of Abbado’s tenure in Berlin, which spanned from 1989, immediately after Karajan’s death, until 2002.
A film that documents the very first rehearsal of Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic shows an instant rapport between the orchestra and their new music director. In rehearsing Mahler’s first symphony, Abbado doesn’t say much. With a few simple gestures and directions, he creates a marvelous sound in the haunting first few bars of the third movement.
A Deutsche Grammophon (DG) artist since the 1960s, Abbado left behind a wealth of phenomenal recordings with the world’s finest orchestras and soloists.
Some of the most memorable moments in the orchestra’s history, such as his 1989 inaugural concert of the Mahler symphony No. 1, are available at the digital concert hall web site of the Berlin Philharmonic.
His resume as a conductor may have peaked when he was appointed the music director of the Berlin Philharmonic, but some see his biggest legacy in what he did to nurture and encourage young musicians, as well as founding orchestras and festivals. He was an ardent orchestra builder, founding the Lucerne Festival Orchestra (LFO), the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
“He consistently placed emphasis on dialogue and cooperation which made his music so alive. Moreover, he has made an impact as a patron for young talent,” said Frank Briegmann, president of Central Europe Universal Music and Deutsche Grammophon (DG).
A DG artist for more than 40 years, Abbado has a prolific discography with the prestigious German label. He made his first recording for DG in 1967 and his last in 2013, leaving behind an exceptional legacy that demonstrates his continuous development as a musician until the very last year of his life.
Abbado was particularly associated with the German-Austro repertoire and as an opera director in his younger years in Milan and Vienna he excelled in the Italian operas of Verdi and Rossini. He also left behind moving interpretations of the Russian repertoire, including Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Stravinsky. With the LFO, he has a string of legendary performances on disc and on DVD of Mahler symphonies that brought him recognition as one of the greatest interpreters of the Austrian composer.
For almost 50 years, fans all over the world have been swept away by his impassioned interpretations, and critics have marveled at his innovative and youthful approach to an endless repertoire.
Musicians simply loved to work with him. After he left the Berlin Philharmonic in 2002, his hand-picked musicians gathered every summer to play with him in what became the all-star LFO, a pet project in the last decade of Abbado’s life.
“Claudio Abbado’s contribution to musical life is inestimable, from the ensembles he created to his positions at La Scala, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Lucerne Festival,” said Max Hole, Universal Music International Chairman and CEO, in a statement. “He was truly one of the greats.”
Some of the major posts that shaped his career are Teatro alla Scala in Milan (1968–86), the London Symphony Orchestra (1979-87), the Vienna Staatsoper (1986-91) and the Berlin Philharmonic (1989-2002).
After his death from a long illness was announced, all of the organizations that had been associated with his career posted loving tributes to the legendary conductor.