On 19th February in Cankarjev dom hall in Ljubljana will be concert with maestro Roberto Abbado for Festival Ljubljana. The famous Italian conductor will perform in Slovenia for the third time and in connection to this occasion we have spoken with him.

You have already toured in Slovenia, in Ljubljana. Do you have any friends among Slovenian conductors? Do you ever meet? Have you ever cooperated?
I have been to Slovenia twice, but unfortunately I have not yet had the opportunity to meet any of my colleagues in person.
The conductor is the main authority in the orchestra and on stage. There is probably a certain relationship between you and the musicians that is indispensable and mandatory on stage. How do you get along with the orchestra in backstage?
The relationship must be very strong. After all, we make music together. The orchestra knows what it will play, and the conductor determines the type of performance.
Your colleague Alfonso Scarano, as he told me in an interview, has a strict professional relationship with the orchestra on stage. In their free time on tour, they play football together, among other things. What are you like?
Haha, if I go play with them, I’ll break down. Today, cards come into play more. When I was younger, we also competed with the orchestra. I even organized some matches myself. But I used to do a lot of sports. In addition to football, also tennis and skiing. But then the knee problems started. So now I’m a couch sportsman. I still never miss a good football or tennis match on TV. It relaxes me and clears my mind, although I often get upset by what is happening on the screen.
Do you have a favorite football club?
Of course! Lazio Roma. This is our family tradition. My grandfather started cheering for the club. My parents were even its presidents.
Today, there are several top conductors in the world, but it would be difficult for me to point to just one who would be a marked departure from others, for example as Herbert von Karajan or Leopold Stokowski in the past. How do you view your colleagues? Is there anyone among them that you particularly appreciate? Do you think any of you stand out in particular?
I think you’re right. There isn’t just one standout today. Von Karajan was number one in his time. But even then there were many excellent ones.
Have you ever thought about whether a famous musical surname helped you on your way or did it make you have to prove yourself even more because of it?
I think it was more the latter. To this day, I encounter comparisons with my uncle Claudio, who was a top, world-renowned conductor. He is still highly regarded, recognized as one of the greatest artists of his kind of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

Your daughter also played violin, but later she didn’t choose music for her profession.  
I never gave her any advice. He works in Italy’s Luft optic, a company for a world-famous brand of glasses, sunglasses etc. She is a video expert. I wasn’t disappoint that she stopped playing the violin. She told me that she lacks the most necessary thing for a musician, passion. She is happy in her profession and I am happy for her too.
Conductors and maestros are regarded by the audience as serious, strict people. Would you say that you are different from this picture?
I think that in our conversation so far you have already gotten some picture of me and that you can see that I also know how to joke. I laugh a lot because it is positive and necessary. There are, of course, things that need to be taken seriously.
What are you like in private? Do you know how to get away from work and rest?
I love to cook, it’s a great type of relaxation for me. I like it because you can use a lot of imagination, try creativity.
You have FB profile, are you very active on social platforms? Are you one of those who can’t be without?
I only have FB. Being present on social networks is essential these days, but I’m certainly not one of those people who are constantly on social networks. Too frequent presence takes a lot of time, and the question is also how quickly they can get fed up.
Interviews are also part of your job. What kind of interviews do you prefer? Is there a topic you don’t like?
I think that I am open, that there is nothing that I do not dare to answer.
You perform all over the world. Maybe you have a favorite hall?
Festival Ljubljana, haha. Well, there are a few more.
Your idol was Carlos Kleiber. You have said of him several times that he was literally a genius. Why? Did you ever meet him?
Once in Italy, during rehearsals for one of his concerts. He asked me if I had ever conducted Aida, because he never did himself, I think this is very interesting about him. He loved to joke, even about himself. He was a genius. He knew how to approach music in a special way. Together with the orchestras, he worked magic on stage. Never before have I seen so much passion woven into music. Everything he did was imbued with incredible elegance. He knew how to merge mutually contradictory things into a whole. All this can be summed up as genius.
Would you say you have something in common with him?
I don’t think so. We are different, which is fine. But he had a great influence on my uncle Claudio and also on our generation. I often notice that today’s young conductors do not copy Kleiber, but his influence is felt.
He is buried in a small village in the middle of Slovenia, where he lived during the last years of his life. Have you ever visited his grave?
I have to admit, unfortunately not. Now that you mention it, if there’s a chance, I’ll go.
Your uncle Claudio was also a famous conductor. Have you ever performed together?
No, unfortunately never. But we met often, especially in the last years of his life, when he lived in Bologna.

You have a rich and successful career. You are an example to younger generations of conductors. What do you think your legacy will be?
Gee, you ask tough questions! (laughs). It’s really hard to judge yourself. I think you should ask the audience, colleagues, experts…
Maybe this one will be easier. What are you most proud of in your career? What do you consider your greatest success?
Oh, that’s not any easier either (laughs). After a performance of Gaetano Donizetti’s opera La favorita in 2014 in Salzburg, a gentleman approached me and said maestro, congratulations on your Parsifal. I conducted this Wagner opera half a year earlier in Bologna. The aforementioned gentleman was at both performances and instead of congratulating me for La favorite, he congratulated me especially for the performance of Parsifal. Many people later told me that Parsifal was the best work of my life.
You perform in big concert halls all over the world. Do you sometimes wish to perform also outside them? Would you, for example, perform with orchestra on the opening of Olympics etc?
I would, of course. If it would be a small part, some cut. I can’t imagine how you would perform with Beethoven, for example, because those are really long symphonies. Outside of other concert venues, it depends on the acoustics etc.
When I was looking at your photos online, I would say that in some of them you look a little like the American actor James Read from the 80s TV series North and South. Have you ever noticed this yourself? Has anyone else ever said that to you?
Actually, I think you’re the first one to tell me that (laughs). When we were younger, it was really about the resemblance, especially the eyes and around the eyes, but now probably less.

Photo: Miro Zagnoli, Yasuko Kageyama