Sinopoli, Giuseppe

Sinopoli, Giuseppe, distinguished Italian conductor and composer; b. Venice, Nov. 2, 1946. He studied organ and harmony as a youth in Messina, then took courses in harmony and counterpoint at the Venice Cons.; also studied medicine at the Univ. of Padua (degree in psychiatry, 1971) while concurrently studying composition privately with Donatoni in Paris; then took a course in conducting with Swarowsky at the Vienna Academy of Music. He organized the Bruno Maderna Ensemble in 1975, and conducted it in performances of contemporary music; was also active as a teacher. After a successful engagement as a guest conductor at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 1976, he appeared at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin (1980), the Hamburg State Opera (1980), and the Vienna State Opera (1982). On May 3, 1983, he made his Covent Garden debut in London, conducting Manon Lescaut; his Metropolitan Opera debut followed in N.Y. on March 11, 1985, when he led a performance of Tosca. He served as chief conductor of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome (1983–87). He also was principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orch. of London (1984–94). In 1990 he became Generalmusikdirektor of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, but abruptly resigned that same year after disagreements with its Intendant, Götz Friedrich. In 1992 he became chief conductor of the Dresden State Orch. and Opera. His training as a psychiatrist led him to probe deeply into the scores he conducted, often resulting in startlingly revealing but controversial interpretations. As a composer, he pursues contemporary modes of expression. Among his works is the opera Lou Salome (Munich, May 10, 1981; also 2 suites: No. 1 for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch., 1981, and No. 2 for Orch., 1985).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire