Today the world of classical music lost one of its greatest conductors Claudio Abbado. Even though he had many health problems in recent years, it came as a little shock to me when I saw the news flash up on my computer screen! I have a bucket list of great conductors I’ve always wanted to see. They are: Simon Rattle who I’ve seen twice, and will again in May. Valery Gergiev who I’ve seen twice, Riccardo Chailly,  twice, Daniel Barenboim who I saw once with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. But it was Abbado I really wanted to see the most. I almost had the opportunity  a few years ago when I tried to get to see him at the BBC Proms with his Lucerne Festival Orchestra but alas I couldn’t get a ticket…

This post was never meant to be an obituary to Claudio Abbado but you can read a very detailed one from the Guardian newspaper here.

Here is a youtube clip of the end of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.2 one of my favourite video recordings of Claudio Abbado conducting his Lucerne Festival Orchestra showing his unique gentle style.

Also I’ve made a Spotify playlist of my favourite Abbado recordings in no particular order.