Claudio Abbado, maestro of symphony and opera, dies at age 80 in Italy (video)

Claudio Abbado, one of the greatest symphonic and opera conductors of the 20th and early 21st centuries, died Sunday at his home in Bologna, Italy, at the age of 80.

Known for his interpretations of Mahler, Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert, Mr. Abbado's specialties ran the gamut from Russian symphonists to opera, in which he excelled in Mozart, Wagner, Mussorgsky, Rossini and Verdi.

He also championed some of the most renowned modern composers, including Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Nono, Penderecki, Stockhausen and Boulez.

After winning the Serge Koussevitzky Award at Tanglewood in 1958, he began his storied career at La Scala in Milan in 1960, where he was music director from 1968 to 1986. He also held top positions at the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna State Opera, London Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic, and was principal guest conductor at the Chicago Symphony. Also fond of youth orchestras, he led the European Youth Orchestra and Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. On Jan. 16, Mr. Abbado's Orchestra Mozart announced it was suspending operations after 10 years because of Italian government spending cuts.

Mr. Abbado died after a long illness, according to the Bologna mayor's office. In 2000, he was diagnosed with cancer, though he continued to conduct following surgery. In a 2011 interview, he told ArtsJournal blogger Norman Lebrecht he was in good health.

Mr. Abbado's enormous discography spans from 1972 to 2013, most on the Deutsche Grammophon label. In his memory, Daniel Barenboim will conduct the Funeral March from Beethoven' Symphony No. 3 in an empty hall at the Piazza della Scala in Milan, with doors left open, on Monday. A wake will be held Tuesday at a Bologna church.