Abbado in Portrait

Rating:
Summary: music making from another type of conductor
Review: i came sligthly skeptical to this encounter with abbado and his music--only an hour-long material with the generous goal to offer a portrait of abbado. yet, i found this dvd packed with so unique a combination of information, dialogue, insight, music, conducting, and personality that i am overwhelmed.

abbado defies the autocratic/dictatorial traits of your stereotypical conductor and you can see the transformation of sound into music as result of a different type of relationship between an orchestra and its conductor--abbado likens it to the relationship among chamber music players.

the opinions/interviews of/with other musicians about abbado are quite revealing on this dvd and bring real contributions to the general economy of the material.

great focus on abbado the conductor yet abbado the person is still present as reflection of his work, style and thoughts.

wonderful!

nota bene: abbado succeeded karajan at the podium of the berlin philharmonc. the conductor-personalities of the two could not be farther apart so one could say the berliner found in abbado the cure to some forty years of karajan 'despotism,' and, as far as one can tell, that was not at the expense of Music!