Giuseppe Sinopoli

Giuseppe Sinopoli was born in Venice on November 2, 1946. He studied music at the conservatory in his hometown and, at his father's request, medicine in Padua simultaneously. In 1972, he earned his doctorate with a thesis on criminal anthropology and another on the interplay of physiological and acoustically-mental components of human perception. His music studies in Venice proved unproductive for Sinopoli, leading him to attend summer courses in Darmstadt with Karlheinz Stockhausen and Bruno Maderna in 1968. Having developed a taste for it, he deepened his knowledge from 1969–73 at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena with Franco Donatoni, becoming his assistant, and finally completed his training with conducting masterclasses under Hans Swarowsky in Vienna. Throughout the 1970s, he first gained recognition for his compositional activities, receiving commissions from festivals in France, the Netherlands, and Germany (Donaueschingen), among others. His opera “Lou Salomé” premiered in May 1981 at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. In 1972, Sinopoli became a lecturer for contemporary and electronic music at the Venice Conservatory, but at the same time, he looked to Vienna and founded the Bruno Maderna Ensemble in 1975. From the mid-seventies onwards, in addition to his compositional work, he increasingly made a name for himself as a conductor. Important milestones in his career included performances of Verdi's “Aida” in 1976 and Puccini's “Tosca” in 1977 in Venice. In 1980, he debuted with Verdi's “Macbeth” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, with “Aida” at the Hamburg State Opera, and with Verdi's “Attila” at the Vienna State Opera. In 1983, Sinopoli introduced himself as an opera conductor in London (with Puccini's “Manon Lescaut”) and in 1985 at the Metropolitan Opera New York (“Tosca”). Finally, in 1994, he debuted at La Scala with Richard Strauss “Elektra”. Furthermore, since his Bayreuth debut in 1985 (“Tannhäuser”), he regularly appeared at the festival. In 1994, he conducted “Parsifal” there, and six years later, the “Ring”. In addition, Giuseppe Sinopoli was a regular guest at the Salzburg Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and major opera houses in New York, London, Milan, Vienna, and Berlin. In 1990, he took over the artistic direction of the “Taormina Arte” festival. Sinopoli was a globally sought-after star on the podium. He conducted the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the orchestras of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the London Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Staatskapelle Dresden. From 1983 to 1987, he was chief conductor of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. The Philharmonia Orchestra appointed him its chief conductor in 1984 and its music director three years later (until 1994). From 1992, he also led the venerable Staatskapelle Dresden, which celebrated its 450th anniversary in 1998. On April 20, 2001, Giuseppe Sinopoli unexpectedly collapsed while conducting the third act of “Aida” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and died from the consequences of a heart attack. Giuseppe Sinopoli recorded for Deutsche Grammophon for two decades. His discography includes numerous award-winning recordings such as Puccini's “Manon Lescaut,” “Madame Butterfly,” and “Tosca,” Verdi's “La Forza del Destino,” Wagner's “Tannhäuser,” and Richard Strauss “Salome” and “Elektra.” Additionally, highly acclaimed recordings of orchestral music were produced, including Tchaikovsky's “Symphony No. 6,” Mahler's “Symphony No. 9,” and the Schumann symphonies. His more recent releases include recordings of works by Busoni, Liszt, and Bruckner with the Staatskapelle Dresden, as well as Wagner's “Der Fliegende Holländer” with the chorus and orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In 1994, Giuseppe Sinopoli was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit, Italy's highest honor, for his contributions to culture and music. 6/2005