The Legacy of a Legend - DG celebrates Claudio Abbado's 90th Birthday

On 26 June this year, Claudio Abbado (1933–2014) would have turned 90. Over the course of four decades, the world-renowned Italian conductor made countless landmark recordings for Deutsche Grammophon – this year the label pays tribute to the man and his exceptional career with a series of special releases.

First among these is a unique, hand-numbered edition of his complete recordings for DG, Decca and Philips comprising 258 CDs and 8 DVDs. Claudio Abbado – The Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon & Decca includes hundreds of the finely crafted performances the conductor inspired from some of the world’s greatest artists and orchestras. These span everything from Baroque works by Vivaldi, Bach and Pergolesi, to contemporary music by Xenakis, Nono and Salvatore Sciarrino, via a vast number of works by Mozart, the complete symphonies of Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Mahler, and much more besides.

Abbado’s work as one of the most respected opera conductors of his day, music director of both La Scala and the Vienna Staatsoper at different times in his career, is reflected in both full operas and excerpts. There are works by Mozart, Rossini and Verdi – cornerstones of his operatic legacy – but Lohengrin, Pelléas et Mélisande and Wozzeck, among others, feature too. On DVD, we find such treasures as La Cenerentola, Il barbiere di Siviglia, From the House of the Dead, Peter and the Wolf and the 1991 Wiener Philharmoniker New Year’s Concert.

Abbado’s work with the Berliner Philharmoniker, of which he was chief conductor from 1990 to 2002, justifiably features on no fewer than 60 CDs here. He is also heard with other such leading ensembles as the London Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker and Dresden Staatskapelle.

The edition includes three books providing essays on significant stages of Abbado’s career; reminiscences from producers and colleagues; production dates and tracklistings; numerous rare photos; and a foreword by the conductor’s four children. The individual albums are presented in their original cover jackets, while the collection as a whole is presented in a high-quality library-style box.

Our 2023 Abbado releases also include milestone recordings of two key works from the operatic and symphonic repertoire respectively. The first is his classic 1972 version of Il barbiere di Siviglia (2 CDs + DVD + BRA), with the LSO and starring Hermann Prey in the title role and Teresa Berganza as Rosina. The second is a reissue of his masterful 1993 reading with the Berliner Philharmoniker of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 which, thanks to its close association with Todd Field’s Oscar-nominated film TÁR, is now out on vinyl for the first time.