Europakonzert 2002 from Palermo

The town of Palermo was lit up, and Claudio Abbado revealed his strong Sicilian roots to all his followers. Viewers of this concert, broadcast across all of Europe, were inspired to see the maestro so relaxed, gesticulating so emphatically. After the intermission, music lovers heard an interpretation of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony that couldn't have been lovelier. The Berliners were elegantissimo, playing magnificent solos, mastering the ensemble passages with supreme ease. And when under Abbado's baton Verdi's "Sicilian Vesper" was made to glow in all the colors of southern climes, the audience knew no restraint: there were standing ovations and a never-ending cascade of flowers raining down on the beaming maestro and his musicians. The repertoire includes: Ludwig van Beethoven (Egmont-Ouverture), Johannes Brahms (Violin Concerto op. 77) played by Gil Shaham, Antonin Dvorák (Symphony No. 9) and Giuseppe Verdi (I Vespri Siciliani, Ouverture).