Liszt Academy mourns Abbado
Along with the entire world of music, we, too, were shaken by the news that the world famous Italian conductor had died at the age of 81.
In an unparalleled career, Claudio Abbado was able to lead the world's top orchestras. For many years he conducted the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic ensembles, and the orchestras of La Scala, Milan and Wiener Staatsoper. In 1989, he was appointed to lead the Berlin Philharmonic as successor to Herbert von Karajan, and five years later he took over the direction of the Salzburg Festival. The Milan-born conductor always followed the careers of young musicians with particular interest, and he founded the European Union Youth Orchestra, and then the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester – in fact, he conducted the latter ensemble at a memorable concert in the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy in spring 2004. News of his death was all the more painful because we had hoped he would have been able to accept an invitation to visit the renewed Liszt Academy.