Claudio Abbado - A Personal Tribute
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 Symphony No. 6 in F, Op. 68 Egmont Overture, Op. 84 Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra CLAUDIO ABBADO, conductor Recorded Carnegie Hall, New York, NY on 06 October 2001
I couldn't let the passing of one the great conductors of our time pass without comment. There is little by Abbado which has not been circulated in the collecting community -- all the wonderful concerts which were broadcast are easily accessible have been traded and traded again. I thought I had nothing to add to the fine musician's legacy. And then I remembered this little tape.
9/11 was difficult for everyone in New York City, some of course more than others. I had bought tickets to see Abbado and Berlin perform the Mahler 7 in Carnegie Hall months before the concert date in October. After the World Trade Center attacks air travel into NYC was suspended completely for a time and I had feared Abbado and the band would not show. The All-Rachmaninov concerts with Vladimir Ashkenay and the Philharmonia on Sept 13, 14 & 15 for which I held tickets were, not surprisingly, cancelled and rescheduled for January 2002.
But Abbado and the Berliners stepped up to the plate. A smaller group came and the program was changed to all-Beethoven but in retrospect, after my initial disappointment, I thought that we needed these works by Beethoven more than the Mahler 7 at that sensitive time - less than a month after the attacks. We needed the strength of the 5th, the humanity of the 6th and Egmont's depiction of triumph over adversity.
I can't imagine too many of you will be interested in yet more Beethoven by Abbado, with all that is out there. But, with all respect Gentle Readers, this time it's not about you. It is about the passing of a beloved maestro, his commitment to music and those who love it.
I couldn't let the passing of one the great conductors of our time pass without comment. There is little by Abbado which has not been circulated in the collecting community -- all the wonderful concerts which were broadcast are easily accessible have been traded and traded again. I thought I had nothing to add to the fine musician's legacy. And then I remembered this little tape.
9/11 was difficult for everyone in New York City, some of course more than others. I had bought tickets to see Abbado and Berlin perform the Mahler 7 in Carnegie Hall months before the concert date in October. After the World Trade Center attacks air travel into NYC was suspended completely for a time and I had feared Abbado and the band would not show. The All-Rachmaninov concerts with Vladimir Ashkenay and the Philharmonia on Sept 13, 14 & 15 for which I held tickets were, not surprisingly, cancelled and rescheduled for January 2002.
But Abbado and the Berliners stepped up to the plate. A smaller group came and the program was changed to all-Beethoven but in retrospect, after my initial disappointment, I thought that we needed these works by Beethoven more than the Mahler 7 at that sensitive time - less than a month after the attacks. We needed the strength of the 5th, the humanity of the 6th and Egmont's depiction of triumph over adversity.
I can't imagine too many of you will be interested in yet more Beethoven by Abbado, with all that is out there. But, with all respect Gentle Readers, this time it's not about you. It is about the passing of a beloved maestro, his commitment to music and those who love it.
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