At the close of a year rich in exceptional musical experiences ( the latest being the performances given by the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester in Edinburgh, London, Salzburg, Lucerne, Bolzano) Claudio Abbado starts his sabbatical. This year will be dedicated mainly to his health, his family - and in particular his grand-children - his work and the preparation of the new cycle planned in Lucerne. It is not the first time Claudio Abbado interrupts thus his activities to enable him to gain a bit of distance and rest. Those who have lived through the past two years with their frenzied rhythm (let us remind you of Simon Boccanegra, Parsifal, Tristan - in Tokyo - the Beethoven-cycle, the tours of Japan, USA, Austria, Italy and the concerts in France and Great Britain) can be reassured: who endures such a sustained rhythm must have overcome his worst medical problems. On the other hand this rhythm amply justifies a prolonged moment of peace and quiet. Thus the next stage can begin under the best auspices.
Let us wish Claudio Abbado a lovely holiday and we look forward to seeing him again in Ferrara (15.2.2003) and in Lucerne (15.8.2003).
But the Abbadiani will not go into hibernation. Far from it. The success of the exhibition "Volare con la musica" as well as its imperfections make us want to continue and to improve this work in progress. It is a long, painstacking work which demands precision as well as economic, scientific and logistic collaboration amongst friends. Let me thank once more the team of Fabio Bartolini, our friend from Trente, as well as Rosemary Ripperger in Mainz, Christa Hintermayer in Vienna, but also Marina Rovera, Deda Pedrazzini and Silvana Patrini in Milan, without who we could not have presented most of the documents. We would like to enlarge our perspective, perhaps even transform our product so as to make it our calling card.
An Abbadiani is prompted too by the desire to support the orchestras and artists connected with Claudio Abbado: the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the Berlin Philharmonic. These will surely receive visits from members of the club in the remaining months of the year. The journeys continue as the Abbadiani are no hysteric fans who have a blinkered attitude, but real music and art lovers. That is why - in the name of all the Abbadiani - I would like to greet the Berlin Philharmonic who this month begin a new chapter in their glorious history, this time under the leadership of Simon Rattle, whom we have congratulated by telegram. Admittedly, something new and different is happening. You only have to look at the programmes in Berlin or read the interviews given by Simon Rattle recently. But variety has always been a source of enrichment. We are certain: when Claudio Abbado returns to his Berliner in 2004 they will have changed a bit, but they will still be full of the same enthusiastic will to make music together, zusammen musizieren, so as to give us yet more unforgettable moments.

Welcome, Sir Simon.

Last, but not least, the editorial staff of www.abbadiani.it , your site, which has enabled hundreds if not thousands of Abbadiani to come into contact with one another, will now surely find the time to alter, improve, refresh its design, to offer sound and visual extracts and above all to serve the cause of music and culture in all its aspects. Please help us through your suggestions!
Dear friends of Claudio Abbado, we have decided to close this editorial with some flowers - those under which the hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, the Berlin Philharmonic and Claudio Abbado collapsed on May 13th 2002.

Thank you, Claudio!