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Riccardo Chailly is a dynamic and sometimes controversial conductor known for his devotion to contemporary music and for his attempts to modernize approaches to the traditional symphonic repertory. His many recordings for the Decca label include modern masterworks by Zemlinsky,
Hindemith, and
Schnittke, the symphonies of
Gustav Mahler, and a number of operas. In 2021, Decca issued a box set of
Chailly conducting the complete works of Stravinsky, and he led the La Scala Theater Orchestra in backing
Anna Netrebko on her album
Amata dalle Tenebre.
Chailly was born in Milan on February 20, 1953. The son of composer Luciano Chailly and an occasional rhythm & blues drummer,
Chailly began his conducting career as
Claudio Abbado's assistant at La Scala, cutting his teeth on the standard operatic literature. He attained considerable success as an opera conductor in his own right, making guest appearances at London's Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, and numerous Italian and German houses; he also made several notable recordings, including an
Andre Chénier with
Luciano Pavarotti. Nevertheless, he decided to focus his energies on symphonic conducting instead, feeling that it offered a wider avenue for artistic exploration. To that end, he became the principal conductor of the
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1982, eventually leading them on their first North American tour in 1985; he was also the principal guest conductor of the
London Philharmonic from 1982 to 1985.
In 1988, the newly rechristened
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra named the 35-year-old
Chailly as its chief conductor and artistic director. This would prove to be the defining post of his career, and he would cut back on his touring and operatic engagements to make it the center of his artistic activities. The relationship with both the orchestra and its audience was rocky at first, marked by resentment toward his "modernistic" approach to the works of
Bruckner,
Mahler, and
Brahms. (Among other things,
Chailly moved the group away from its signature sound and toward a more flexible palette of orchestral color, adaptable to the needs of each composer.) However, after that adjustment,
Chailly assumed a position of confident leadership over the group, maintaining its position as one of Europe's finest ensembles but also establishing it as a source of innovation and fresh perspective.
Chailly left the
Concertgebouw in 2004, and was replaced by
Mariss Jansons.
Chailly was the first music director of the Orchestra symphonica Giuseppe Verdi, serving from 1999 until 2005. In 2005, he assumed a new post with the
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, where he served until 2016. In 2015,
Chailly was named music director of La Scala in Milan, and the following year was named to the same role with the
Lucerne Festival Orchestra. He has conducted orchestras across Europe and the U.S., including such illustrious groups as the
Berlin Philharmonic, the
New York Philharmonic, and the
Chicago Symphony.
Chailly is a noted champion of
Edgard Varèse and Alexander Zemlinsky, both of whom he feels have been under-appreciated. He also maintains an interest in the performance practice of the Baroque era, and in his performances of
Bach's St. Matthew Passion, he attempts to balance the sound of the modern orchestra with the style of the period. As an operatic conductor,
Chailly has made several notable
Rossini recordings, including
La Cenerentola, starring
Cecilia Bartoli. In 2019,
Chailly released an album dedicated to
Nino Rota's music for films by Federico Fellini, as well as a La Scala production of
Puccini's Madame Butterfly. In 2021,
Chailly and the La Scala Theater Orchestra backed soprano
Anna Netrebko on the album
Amata dalle Tenebre, and Decca issued the Stravinsky Edition box set containing
Chailly's recordings of all of that composer's works. That year, the
Lucerne Festival Orchestra extended
Chailly's contract until 2026. ~ Allen Schrott & Keith Finke