Person Biography:
Claudio Abbado was born to a renowned violinist and music teacher, Michelangelo Abbado. He is the brother of composer Marcello Abbado, making him the uncle of conductor Roberto Abbado. After completing his education, Abbado attended the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan.
He married Giovanna Cavazzoni in 1956 and had two children, Alessandra and Daniele, who would go on to become a theater manager and opera director, respectively. In 1957, Abbado moved to Vienna to study with conductor Hans Swarowsky.
Abbado began his career at the Milan opera house "Scala" in 1968, where he worked in various capacities until 1986. He was committed to making high culture accessible to the common people.
From 1979 to 1988, Abbado was the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He later became the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 1990 to 2002. However, his career was interrupted by cancer in the late 1990s. After his recovery, he only appeared at concerts sporadically.
Abbado was a strong supporter of young musicians and founded several youth orchestras, including the European Union Youth Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Mozart Orchestra. He was honored with the Praemium Imperiale in 2003 and the Wolf Prize in 2008.
Abbado was also a renowned conductor, leading the Berlin Philharmonic in several successful performances. He was appointed senator for life by President Giorgio Napolitano in 2013 and received the science book of the year award in Austria for his book "My World of Music".
Abbado passed away on January 20, 2014, at the age of 80, after a long battle with cancer.
