Claudio Abbado founded the Mahler Chamber Orchestra together with the musicians in 1997. In 2003, he declared the orchestra to be the heart of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, and since 2008, he has served on the board of the MCO Foundation.
Most importantly, however, he regularly conducts the orchestra in Ferrara and in other locations in Europe. This cooperation has helped the still relatively new orchestra to reach many milestones: celebrated opera performances from Milan to Baden-Baden, award-winning CD recordings, invitations to Venezuela to participate in educational projects, and, of course, concert experiences which are enthusiastically received by both audiences and critics. New ideas are taking shape for further joint projects in the next few years. In April 2011, a project with works by Ravel and Debussy is planned for Ferrara and other locations. The MCO and the Orchestra Mozart will perform together for the first time. What is the idea behind this collaboration? Claudio Abbado: We wanted to plan a programme which has a direct connection to an exhibition in Ferrara about painting in Paris in the 1920s. But on the whole, the French repertoire of the early 20th century, such as the music of Ravel and Debussy, requires too many musicians for just the MCO or the Orchestra Mozart to perform alone. It’s composed for a large symphony orchestra. Would you also like to send a cultural signal with such projects? Claudio Abbado: We’d like to play this great music which speaks for itself. Not only have you founded many orchestras, but you have also been very involved in music education. How do you address this topic in Italy? Claudio Abbado: We’ve already started to transfer aspects of the »Sistema« founded by José Antonio Abreu in Venezuela to Italy. In Venezuela, around 400,000 children receive musical education. This is wonderful. Of course, the situation in Italy is different from that in Venezuela. Here, we have a broader cultural foundation. What José Antonio Abreu has done is really amazing! We’d like to try something similar here, and in all regions of Italy from Sicily to South Tirol.
Comparable to the »Jedem Kind ein Instrument« (»An Instrument for Every Child«) programme in North Rhine-Westphalia? Claudio Abbado: I think it’s wonderful that the MCO is playing a concert with these children. But the cultural situation in Germany is fundamentally different from that in Italy.
The financial crisis is making it very difficult for culture in general. What can we do to see the arts through these times? Claudio Abbado: We have to carry on despite the crisis. Culture is the most important thing; it makes us rich. Those who say that art doesn’t matter don’t understand how essential culture is for every aspect of life. I believe Nietzsche said »Without music, life would be a mistake.« So, large projects like the one discussed are sending a signal in this sense? Claudio Abbado: You see, there will always be people who don’t want to understand, and thus don’t listen. That’s their bad luck – they lose something. In that sense, it’s not a signal. But it’s important, and that’s why we do these large projects.
