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Claudio Abbado




Abbado was born in Milan . He studied piano at the Milan Conservatory with his father Michelangelo Abbado, and went on to study conducting with Hans Swarowsky at the Vienna Academy Of Music .

In 1958 , he won the Koussevitsky Competition , establishing him in Italy, and then won the 1963 Mitropoulos Prize , after which he rapidly became known internationally as an orchestral and opera conductor.

Abbado made his debut at La Scala in his Milan in 1960 . He served as its Music Director from 1968 to 1986 , conducting not only the traditional Italian repertoire but also presenting a contemporary opera each year, as well as a concert series devoted to the works of Berg and Mussorgsky . While at La Scala, Abbado also founded the Orchestra Della Scala , for the performance of orchestral repertoire in concert.

Abbado conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time in 1965 in a concert at the Salzburg Festival . He served as Music Director of the Vienna State Opera from 1986 to 1991 , with notable productions such as Mussorgsky's original '' Boris Godunov '' and his seldom-heard '' Khovanshchina '', Schubert 's ''Fierrabras'', and Rossini 's '' Il Viaggio A Reims ''.

He was principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra from 1979 to 1987 , and in 1989 he succeeded Herbert Von Karajan as principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic , a post from which he retired in 2002 .

Abbado has performed and recorded a wide range of Romantic works, and is also noted for his interpretations of modern works such as Schoenberg , Stockhausen and Luigi Nono .

In 1988 , Abaddo founded the music festival Wien Modern , which has since expanded to include all aspects of contemporary art. This interdisciplinary festival takes place each year under Abbado's direction.

Abbado is also well-known for his work with young musicians. He is founder and music director of the European Union Youth Orchestra ( 1978 ) and the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchestra ( 1986 ).

He has received many awards and recognitions among which the Imperial Prize Of Japan , Mahler Medal , Bundesverdienstkreuz , Khytera Prize , and honorary doctorates from universities of Ferrara , Cambridge , Aberdeen , and Havana .


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