Cloudio Abbado

On 7th February 1857, after a delay of one year due to problems of copyright on a possible production of King Lear, Verdi accepted and signed a new agreement with the Teatro di San Carlo of Naples for an opera to be staged in January or February 1858. Not long after he had put behind the experiences of Simon Boccanegra (June 1857) and Aroldo (August), Verdi, then, had to face the issue of a new subject for Naples, which would no longer be King Lear, discarded for various reasons, and not even El tesorero del Rey by António García Gutiérrez or Ruy Blas by Hugo, to which he had given more serious thought, but Gustave III by Eugène Scribe, a play written in 1833 for Daniel Auber in which the king of Sweden is assassinated, in 1792, by a group of noblemen led by Jacob Ankarström.

Arguably the greatest opera ever written, the Mozart/Da Ponte depiction of the last twenty-four hours of the legendary libertine is performed here in the standard version combining the two versions Mozart prepared. Abbado offers modern instruments with certain nods to period performance practice–many appoggiaturas, comparatively fleet tempos, and some modest ornamentation.

Arguably the greatest opera ever written, the Mozart/Da Ponte depiction of the last twenty-four hours of the legendary libertine is performed here in the standard version combining the two versions Mozart prepared. Abbado offers modern instruments with certain nods to period performance practice–many appoggiaturas, comparatively fleet tempos, and some modest ornamentation.

London bassist and composer Misha Mullov-Abbado burst onto the scene in 2015 with a debut that prompted a stream of plaudits. As the son of late great Italian conductor Claudio Abbado and Russian violinist Viktoria Mullova, there was great anticipation for the album, which not only exceeded expectations but demonstrated that Mullov-Abbado is an accomplished instrumentalist and composer in his own right. His sophomore recording Cross-Platform Interchange not only confirms his promise as an artist of real depth and vision, but demonstrates his intention to do things his own way. Playing on his love of trains as well as the reciprocity and stylistic openness within his music, the title perfectly symbolizes the interconnectivity of inspiration in his life and art.

Arguably the greatest opera ever written, the Mozart/Da Ponte depiction of the last twenty-four hours of the legendary libertine is performed here in the standard version combining the two versions Mozart prepared. Abbado offers modern instruments with certain nods to period performance practice–many appoggiaturas, comparatively fleet tempos, and some modest ornamentation.

For collectors of Claudio Abbado's recordings, the performances on this three-discs Japanese Esoteric label's remastered release of the Italian conductor's digital recordings of Brahms' symphonies with the Berliner Philharmoniker may seem redundant, since the symphonies were previously released as single discs in the late '80s and early '90s on Deutsche Grammophon. But this box set marks the first hybrid SACD release of historical recording selections. These new audio versions feature Esoteric's proprietary re-mastering process to achieve the highest level of sound quality.

Representing some of Claudio Abbado's final recordings before his death in January 2014, this album celebrates the conductor's legacy with stunning performances from soloists and the Orchestra Mozart. The Mozart concerto was spearheaded by Lucas Macias Navarro, solo oboe of the Concertgebow Amsterdam, who has received lavish praise for his playing here. Haydn's delightful "Sinfonia Concertante" completes the programme.

On this fantastic, critically acclaimed recording of Beethovens’ greatest masterpiece, Claudio Abbado leads the Berlin Philharmonic through a performance of such nuance, such tumultuous emotion, that it’s difficult to imagine there’s a better way to hear this massively influential piece of music. Abbado is widely considered to be one of the most virtuosic and important conductors of the 20th and 21st centuries: in addition to winning two Grammy Awards, he holds four honorary doctorates, the Imperial Prize of Japan, and the French Legion of Honour among many other honors. Add that to one of the world’s premiere orchestras performing one of the most important compositions of all time, and a stunning high resolution audio recording, and you have an absolutely essential addition to your music collection.