Abaddo has been programming a lot of Mahler lately. The 2nd Symphony in Lucerne in 2003 and the 3rd at the BBC Proms only recently, not to mention his numerous forays into Mahler dating back to the sixties, clearly establishes him as the foremost Mahlerian conductor.
He is feeble, sickly, having sufferred an operation in 2000 it is easy to see why Mahler, and of course, Beethoven seems to be very high on his priorities right now. The Milan-born conductor, who held sway over La Scala in the the eighties and the Berlin Philharmonic in the 1990's, is clearly, without doubt, anticipating his end.
He is a master of thematic programming, as his annual European Cultural Concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic shows, and the choice of Beethoven and Mahler, both composers who occupied themselves with the issue of death and resurrection, in his plate means he is preparing to meet his fate with the same quiet fortitude as they did. The unusual power in his Mahler is overwhelming, most especially with the Second, where the staggering violence in the opening movements gives way to a soaring, glorious flight in the unforgettable finale.
I'm not sure if I got my information correctly but I believe he is going to program Beethoven's Ninth in New York this October. By the way, I've plenty of recorded Abaddo: Rossini's Barber of Seville, Brahms' German Requiem, Debussy's La Mer, the Martyrdom of St. Sebastien and Trois Nocturnes, Strauss Elektra, Mahler Two, Verdi Manzoni Requiem, Wagner's Flying Dutchman, Verdi Four Sacred Pieces and Tchaikovsky Tempest. Cecil Licad's award winning Chopin Piano Concerto recording was conducted by Abaddo as well.
Oh My, I wonder how he's gonna interpret Beethoven's grandest composition. I have a Berlin Philharmonic recording with Herbert von Karajan and I didn't like it. Despite the lush tone generated and the fact that it was extremely well-played, I take issue with Karajan's interpretation, which reduced Beethoven's masterpiece into a robotic, mechanical and therefore soul-less performance (think of North Korean soldiers singing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus--tech nically superb but emotionally barren, I'd imagine).
He is feeble, sickly, having sufferred an operation in 2000 it is easy to see why Mahler, and of course, Beethoven seems to be very high on his priorities right now. The Milan-born conductor, who held sway over La Scala in the the eighties and the Berlin Philharmonic in the 1990's, is clearly, without doubt, anticipating his end.
He is a master of thematic programming, as his annual European Cultural Concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic shows, and the choice of Beethoven and Mahler, both composers who occupied themselves with the issue of death and resurrection, in his plate means he is preparing to meet his fate with the same quiet fortitude as they did. The unusual power in his Mahler is overwhelming, most especially with the Second, where the staggering violence in the opening movements gives way to a soaring, glorious flight in the unforgettable finale.
I'm not sure if I got my information correctly but I believe he is going to program Beethoven's Ninth in New York this October. By the way, I've plenty of recorded Abaddo: Rossini's Barber of Seville, Brahms' German Requiem, Debussy's La Mer, the Martyrdom of St. Sebastien and Trois Nocturnes, Strauss Elektra, Mahler Two, Verdi Manzoni Requiem, Wagner's Flying Dutchman, Verdi Four Sacred Pieces and Tchaikovsky Tempest. Cecil Licad's award winning Chopin Piano Concerto recording was conducted by Abaddo as well.
Oh My, I wonder how he's gonna interpret Beethoven's grandest composition. I have a Berlin Philharmonic recording with Herbert von Karajan and I didn't like it. Despite the lush tone generated and the fact that it was extremely well-played, I take issue with Karajan's interpretation, which reduced Beethoven's masterpiece into a robotic, mechanical and therefore soul-less performance (think of North Korean soldiers singing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus--tech nically superb but emotionally barren, I'd imagine).
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