Claudio Abbado

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Mozart did not write the Requiem as despairing funeral music for his impending death. Rather, the piece proclaims eternal light and redemption. Together with a first-class quartet of soloists, the choirs of the Bavarian and Swedish radios and the distinguished musicians of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Claudio Abbado uncovers this more hopeful and forgiving essence of the Requiem

Claudio Abbado leads the Berlin Philharmonic and the Swedish Radio Choir in a performance of Mozart's Requiem at the Salzburg Cathedral to commemorate the 10th anniversary of renowned Austrian conductor Herbert Von Karajan's death. Featuring soloists Rachel Harnisch, Karita Mattila, Sara Mingardo, Bryn Terfel and Michael Schade, this solemn evening is a fitting tribute to one of the 20th century's most influential musical personalities. Live from Salzburg Cathedral on July 16th, 1999.

Mozart did not write the Requiem as despairing funeral music for his impending death. Rather, the piece proclaims eternal light and redemption. Together with a first-class quartet of soloists, the choirs of the Bavarian and Swedish radios and the distinguished musicians of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Claudio Abbado uncovers this more hopeful and forgiving essence of the Requiem.

A unique film portrait of the famous Italian pianist. Maurizio Pollini felt himself that the time had come to submit to the probing of the camera, an exercise made all the more necessary because of his usual avoidance of the public eye.

This was recorded over three nights at the Philharmonie in Berlin. It does, however, provide a fitting close to the career of Claudio Abbado, conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 1990 until May of 2013, when the music here was recorded.

Conductor: Claudio Abbado. Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. 1.Symphony no 1 in C major, Op. 21 2. Symphony no 2 in D major, Op. 36 3. Symphony no 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 "Eroica" 4. Symphony no 4 in B flat major, Op. 60 5. Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op. 67 6. Symphony no 6 in F major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" 7. Symphony no 7 in A major, Op. 92 8. Symphony no 8 in F major, Op. 93 9. Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral"

Claudio Abbado conducts Brahms, Schoenberg & Beethoven - Lucerne Festival Opening Concert (2013)

The charismatic and inspiring Claudio Abbado and the magnificent mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená, with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, hold the audience spellbound in this live recording from Lucerne Festival in Summer. Mahler’s five Rückert-Lieder – in a profoundly moving and rapturously received performance – precede Mahler’s sublime and deeply personal Fourth Symphony. This extraordinary work is executed with power, passion and sensitivity, with Magdalena Kožená giving a transcendent rendition of the final movement.

The unforgettable performances by Claudio Abbado and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA of Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 1−7 are newly celebrated in a set which showcases their exceptional quality – both audiovisual and musical. Claudio Abbado has set new standards in the interpretation of Gustav Mahler’s works; he and his exclusive ensemble of hand-picked musicians held audiences spellbound in these concerts. REPERTOIRE: Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1-7; Five lieder based on poems by Friedrich Rückert; Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26

The charismatic and inspiring Claudio Abbado and the mesmerising young pianist Yuja Wang, with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, hold the audience spellbound in this opening concert of the 2009 Lucerne Festival. Prokofiev's popular and vibrant Third Piano Concerto demonstrates the composer's sharp musical wit, and Yuja Wang is a brilliant exponent of the work. Following this, and chiming beautifully with the festival's theme of the relationship between art and nature, Mahler's First Symphony is given an illuminating and rapturously received performance.

Claudio Abbado and his hand-picked players of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra take their acclaimed Mahler cycle to a new level with this audiovisual recording of the most complex and compelling of the symphonies, the intense, searching Ninth. Abbado brings all his renowned clarity of vision and the experience of a lifetime to this contradictory music half valedictory, half life-affirming and his orchestra of soloists, including some of the leading instrumentalists of our time, revels in the transparent textures and virtuosity of Mahlers last completed symphony.

For this performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 3, recorded live in 2007 at the Congress and Concert Hall Lucerne, Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra are joined by the Arnold Schoenberg Chor and the Tölzer Knabenchor. The soloist is Anna Larsson.

World-renowned maestro Claudio Abbado opens up about his life and work in this profile that effectively combines images of the conductor in rehearsal and in concert and interviews with friends, colleagues and Abbado himself. The video includes footage of Bruno Ganz, Daniel Harding, Marcel Prawy, Albrecht Mayer, Wolfram Christ, Kolja Blacher, the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and more.

The captivating story of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System - an incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within most of Venezuela’s towns and villages. Once a modest program designed to expose rural children to the wonders of music, the system has become one of the most important and beautiful music phenomena in modern history. To Play and To Fight presents interviews and performances by many of the world’s most renowned musicians including the great tenor Placido Domingo, Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Guiseppe Sinopoli, and Eduardo Mata, as they reflect on the impact of such a far-reaching social project. The documentary also presents the inspirational stories of world class musicians who have been trained by the Venezuelan system, including The Berlin Philharmonic’s youngest player Edicson Ruiz and world class conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

Claudio Abbado conducts the Orchestra Mozart with Giuliano Carmignola, principal violinist, live at the Teatro Municipale Valli, Reggio Emilia, April 21, 2007

Claudio Abbado, conductor; Angela Gheorghiu, soprano; Daniela Bercellona, mezzo-soprano; Roberto Alagna, tenor; Julian Konstantinov, bass. Swedish Radio Chorus, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Orfeon Nonostiarra, Berliner Philharmoniker. Live recording at performances to mark the centenary of Verdi's death. Jan. 25 & 27, 2001.

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Claudio Abbado conducted Beethoven’s symphonies on many occasions in the Philharmonie in Berlin. But only at the end of his tenure as chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker did he decide to give a performance of the complete symphonies. It was left to audiences of his native Italy to witness these concerts in February 2001 in the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 2000 concert was conducted by Claudio Abbado and featured Andrea Rost (soprano), Alan Titus (baritone), Ramón Vargas (tenor), and the Prague Radio Choir. On the programme: Giuseppe Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Excerpts), Don Carlos (Excerpts), Rigoletto (Excerpts), La Traviata (Excerpts), Falstaff (Excerpts), Johann Strauss: Maskenfest – Quadrille.

Beethoven: Concerto N° 2 for Piano and Orchestra; Symphony N° 9

Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in this gala New Year's Eve performance, organized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi's death. Recorded in 2000, the program includes excerpts from the composer's "La Traviata," "Falstaff," "Rigoletto," "Don Carlos" and "Un Ballo in Maschera," with solos by Andrea Rost (soprano), Ramon Vargas (tenor), Alan Titus (baritone) and Lucio Gallo (bass-baritone).

Gustav Mahler's fourth symphony and Pelleas et Melisande by Arnold Schoenberg performed by the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, conducted by Claudio Abbado. Soprano Juliane Banse is featured on the Mahler symphony

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“It would be hard to find anything greater, more significant or more moving anywhere in musical life today: total harmony of mind and heart, poetry and outcry, fear and consolation, knowing and feeling,” declared the Berne paper ‘Der Bund’ after this stunning performance of Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony in August 2003 by the newly founded Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Claudio Abbado had formed this ensemble from famous instrumentalists, celebrated chamber-musicians and experienced soloists from the world’s best orchestras, and the event was sold out months in advance. The ‘Neue Zürcher Zeitung’ reported: “Once again the applause at the end was unequalled; the immense final chord … broke a tension that had lasted over 90 minutes without relaxing for a moment.”

Documents the interpretations of Gustav Mahler's compositions by conductors Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, and Simon Rattle, who detail the special relationship they have with Mahler's work.

Symphony No. 8 is as different musically from the Seventh Symphony as it is close in time since it was finished only five months later. It appears to be caught between the Dionysian scale of the Seventh Symphony and the titanic universality of the Ninth Symphony. The carefree nature of the "little symphony", as the composer called it himself, should not make one forget its welcome smile.

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Live performance of Gustav Mahler's 'Symphony No.6' at the 2006 Lucerne Festival. Claudio Abbado conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, which includes soloists such as violinist Kolja Blacher, cellist Natalia Gutman and clarinettist Sabine Meyer.

Wiener Philharmonic Karl Bohm Claudio Abbado

In Search of Beethoven offers a comprehensive documentary about the life and works of the great composer. Over 65 performances by the world's finest musicians were recorded and 100 interviews conducted in the making of this beautifully crafted film. Eleven interviews are included in the Extras and Six complete movements.

With the Fifth Symphony, the Symphony No. 9 is the most famous piece. Its unusual length, the adjunction of soloists and of choruses, the choice of the Ode to Joy by Schiller, all of this concurs to its fame. The Ninth Symphony is a "Big Bang" in symphonic terms. A grandiose apotheosis, sublimating all of Beethoven's work by being the most universal and immediately understood piece ever written.

Claudio Abbado conducts the prestigious Berliner Philharmonikerfor during a concert dedicated to Beethoven. The programme includes the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19 with the Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev whose dazzling technique adding to a delicate sensitivity merges instinct and intellectual rigour, and the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125.

Beethoven: Egmont-Ouverture Brahms: Violin Concerto op. 77 Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 op. 95 Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani, Ouverture

Competently as usual and with a lot of visinary energy, Claudio Abbado conducted his LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA at the opening of LUCERNE FESTIVAL, SOMMER 2005. The programm included Beethoven's impressive Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, with Alfred Brendel as soloist and, as the very heart of the opening programme of SOMMER 2005, Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.

An extraordinary performance by the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Claudio Abbado, recorded in the Great Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna in 1997 to commemorate the centenary of the death of Johannes Brahms. With soprano Barbara Bonney and baritone Bryn Terfel with the acclaimed Swedish Radio Choir and Eric Ericson Chamber Choir.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Overture and Arias from "Don Giovanni"; Symphony No. 29 in A major K. 201; Scena and Rondo for Soprano and piano forte obligato and Orchestra K. 505; Symphony No. 35 in D major K. 385 "Haffner" Documentary on the Berliner Philharmoniker and Mozart in Prague.

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 1996 concert was conducted by Claudio Abbado and featured Maxim Vengerov (violin) and the Swedish Radio Choir performing: Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 1, 5, 7, 17, 10 & 21, Johannes Brahms: Gipsy Songs, Op. 103, Maurice Ravel: Tzigane, Johannes Brahms: "Es tönt ein voller Harfenklang", Johannes Brahms: Liebeslieder-Walzer, Op. 52, Maurice Ravel: La Valse, Hector Berlioz: Hungarian March.

Documentary about the life and work of the Hungarian composer, Gyorgy Kurtag

Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner.

Richard Wagner Overture to "The Flying Dutchman" Peter Tchaikovsky "The Storm" Claude Debussy “Trois Nocturnes” Giuseppe Verdi "Quattro pezzi sacri"

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 1997 concert was conducted by Claudio Abbado and featured Roberto Alagna (tenor), Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzosoprano), Bryn Terfel (baritone), Gil Shaham (violin), Mikhail Petnev (piano) performing: Georges Bizet: Carmen (Excerpts), Sergej Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Pablo de Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25, Maurice Ravel: Rhapsody Espagnole, Manuel de Falla: El Amor Brujo - Ritual Fire Dance, Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5.

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 1998 concert was conducted by Claudio Abbado and featured Marcelo Álvarez (tenor), Mirella Freni (soprano), Simon Keenlyside (baritone), Christine Schäfer (soprano) performing: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (Excerpts), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni (Excerpts), Georges Bizet: L'Arlésienne (Excerpts), Gioachino Rossini: La gazza ladra: Overture, Giuseppe Verdi: Rigoletto (Excerpts), Giuseppe Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Excerpts), Hector Berlioz: Le Carnaval Romain, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (Excerpts), Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata (Excerpts).

Shot over a two-year period observing Abbado: a) Rossini, Overture to 'll Barbiere di Siviglia' b) Schubert, Symphony no. 2 B-Major, D. 125 c) Arnold Schonberg, Kammersinfonie no. 1 E-Major op. 9 (Filmed in Venice, Gran Teatro La Fenice, in February 1995, Chamber Orchestra of Europe). a) Richard Strauss, Elektra (Deborah Polaski, Karita Mattila, Marjana Lipovsek, Ferrucio Furlanetto) b) Beethoven, Symphony no 6 F-Major, op. 68, 'Pastorale' (Filmed in the Festspielhaus Salzburg on the occasion of the Easter Festival, April 1995, Berlin Philharmonic). a) Beethoven, Concerto for piano and orchestra no. 3 C-MINOR, OP. 37 (Maria Joao Pires) b) Bruckner, Symphony no. 9 D-Minor (Filmed in Paris, Cite de la Musique, in August 1995, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra).

The vote was over, and a decision had been made: Claudio Abbado was the new chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker. So it was in 1989, when – for the first time – the orchestra itself decided who was to be its artistic director. The result was a surprise for the music world – and also for Abbado himself. This documentary traces the first year of the new chief conductor in Berlin.

A delightful DVD of Prokofiev's universally beloved and popular "musical tale," brought to life by human actors in a fairytale world inhabited by Muppet-like characters. Pop star Sting (The Police) lends his voice to a Sting puppet for the witty, enlightening commentary that guides the viewer through this charming suite.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major for Piano and Orchestra, op. 73 Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major op. 73 Documentary on Meiningen's history and the musical activities of Hans von Bülow, the great pianist and conductor

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Sergei Prokofiev: Highlights from "Romeo & Juliet" Sergei Rachmaninov: Cavatine of Aleko from "Aleko" Ludwig van Beethoven: Romances for Violine and Orchestra No. 1 in G major, and No. 2 in F major, Symphony No. 7 in A major Peter Tchaikovsky: "The Nutcracker" Waltz of the Flowers Documentary on St. Petersburg.

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 1999 concert was conducted by Claudio Abbado and featured Klaus Maria Brandauer, Rias Kammerchor, and Rundfunkchor Berlin. On the programme: Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, op. 92, Allegro con brio, Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88, Allegro ma non troppo, Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5, Rondo, Finale, Igor Stravinsky: Firebird (parts), Maurice Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé, Danse générale, Sergei Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky, op. 78, Alexander's entry into Pskov, Arnold Schönberg: Gurre-Lieder (Excerpts), Paul Lincke: Folies Bergères, March, Paul Lincke: Brandbrief-Galopp, Otto Nicolai: The Merry Wives Of Windsor Overture, Walter Kollo: Solang noch unter'n Linden.

Stockholm's Vasa Museum harbours an extraordinary historical attraction: a large, fully intact sailing ship from the 17th century, the Vasa. Nowadays, the huge exhibition hall of the Vasa Museum is home to the ancient ship. These unusual surroundings formed the venue of the Berliner Philharmoniker's 1998 European Concert in Sweden, which was conducted by Claudio Abbado. Works of Wagner, Tschaikovsky, Debussy and Verdi Vasa Museum Stockholm, 1. May 1998 Berliner Philharmoniker Claudio Abbado Swedish Radio Choir Eric Ericson Chamber Choir Richard Wagner Der fliegende Hollander: Overture (11:32) Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The Tempest. Symphonic Fantasia after Shakespeare (23:02) Claude Debussy Nocturnes (23:10) Giuseppe Verdi Quattro pezzi sacri (41:34)

A documentary about the life of Andrei Tarkovsky in exile in Western Europe including Italy, Sweden, Germany and France until his sad demise to a fatal cancer.

The Prince, Don Ramiro (who has changed places with his valet, Dandini), meets Cenerentola and they are instantly attracted to each other. When the Philosopher, Alidoro, later takes Cenerentola (dressed in magnificent clothing) to the palace, Dandini (still posing as the prince) tries to talk of love to her, but Cenerentola rejects him, saying that she is in love with his 'valet'. Ramiro, who has overheard this comment, is overjoyed, and immediately proposes to her, but Cenerentola says that he must first seek her out and then, if he still felt the same way, she would marry him. She gives him one of a matching pairs of bracelets, telling him to look for its companion on her right arm (she then leaves the palace). Ramiro ends the masquerade, and he and Dandini resume their true identities. The Prince then sets out on his quest - little realising that destiny, in the form of a violent thunderstorm, is about to take a hand in the affair.

The last and arguably finest opera of Modest Mussorgsky is captured in one of its most powerful interpretations in this 1989 recording from the Vienna State Opera, conducted by Claudio Abbado. A moody opera that is thematically broad at times and intimately personal in others, "Khovanshchina" tells the story of the 17th-century clash between Russian conservatives and Peter the Great's reformists. Among the singers is renowned basso Nicolai Ghiaurov and Paata Burchuladze, as well as Anatoly Kocherga, Ludmila Semtchuk, and Heinz Zednik.

Get an insider's glimpse of the preparation of Claudio Abbado's arresting performance of Verdi's "Missa da Requiem" in this behind-the-scenes documentary showcasing the acclaimed conductor as he rehearses with the production's various performers. Featuring the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan, this revealing program compiles rehearsal footage captured at the Chiesa di San Marco in Milan and the Teatro alla Scala opera house.

Piero Cappuccilli and Shirley Verrett lead Verdi’s sombre masterpiece, drawn from one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated tragedies. Filmed for television at Teatro alla Scala in 1979, Claudio Abbado conductes a night to remember.

Count Almaviva is in love with Rosina. However, she is currently staying with Dr. Bartolo – who desires to marry her. By using a series of disguises, Almaviva manages to pass letters to Rosina and serenade her with his beautiful voice. Dr. Bartolo does his best to stop Almaviva but is constantly thwarted. In the end, Count Almaviva marries Rosina and Dr. Bartolo comes to terms with his defeat.

Pollini plays flawlessly, with the greatest finesse and sensitivity, very much in tune with each composer's personal style. His performances are exemplary in every respect. The video and audio are quite acceptable, given their 1970s vintage. Böhm and Abbado are at home in this repertoire, and the Wiener Philharmoniker in excellent form, notwithstanding a few strange noises coming from the horns.

This production from Covent Garden is set in Stockholm, and not Boston. With Reri Grist (Oscar), Placido Domingo (Gustavus), Katia Ricciarelli (Amelia), Piero Cappucili (Renato), Patricia Payne (? - the booklet or DVD fails to credit the singer) (Ulrica) and Claudio Abbado in the pit: all at their peak, you just simply cannot go wrong when purchasing this DVD. This performance made me realise why I had fallen in love with opera: beautiful (today one should be thankful) and convincing sets and costumes, and fiery conducting and singing from all the above soloists which leaves you breathless. Domingo as the King (not the Governor of Boston) is simply ravishing! He is so convincing and dashing as Gustavus - I think very few tenors nowadays can even attempt such a convincing vocal and dramatic performance.

Janáček's Opera as presented by The Vienna Philharmonic in 1992 in Salzburg