Victor Alberto de Sabata (10 April 1892 – 11 December 1967) was an Italian conductor and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. He is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic conductors of the twentieth century, especially for his Verdi, Puccini and

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

. De Sabata was acclaimed for his interpretations of

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l music. Like his near contemporary Wilhelm Furtwängler, de Sabata regarded composition as more important than conducting but achieved more lasting recognition for his conducting than his compositions. De Sabata has been praised by various authors and critics as a rival to Toscanini for the title of greatest Italian conductor of the twentieth century, and even as "perhaps the greatest conductor in the world". In 1918, aged 26, de Sabata was appointed conductor of the Monte Carlo Opera, performing a wide variety of late-19th century and contemporary works, and earning acclaim from

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

. De Sabata became the music director at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

in Milan, a post he would hold for over 20 years. His animated conducting style led one observer to describe his appearance in performance as "a cross between

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

and

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

." Following World War II, his career expanded internationally. He was a frequent guest conductor in London, New York and other American cities. His post-war operatic work included celebrated collaborations with Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi, most notably his famous recording of ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' with Callas in 1953. His career was cut short by a heart attack that same year.

Early life

Victor de Sabata was born in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

, at the time part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, but now part of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. His

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

father, Amedeo de Sabata, was a professional singing teacher and chorus master, and his mother, Rosita Tedeschi, a talented amateur musician, was

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. De Sabata began playing the

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

at the age of four, and composed a

gavotte The gavotte (also gavot, gavote, or gavotta) is a French dance, taking its name from a folk dance of the Gavot, the people of the Gap, Hautes-Alpes, Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné in the southeast of France, where the dance originated, accordin ...

for that instrument at the age of six. He composed his first work for orchestra at the age of twelve. His formal musical studies began after his family moved to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

around 1900. In Milan, de Sabata studied at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory, excelling at piano, violin, theory, composition and conducting, and graduating ''cum laude'' in composition, piano and violin. He would remain a virtuoso pianist and violinist up until the end of his life. In 1911 he performed in an orchestra under the baton of

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...

who influenced him to become a conductor. De Sabata's first opera, ''Il macigno'', was produced at the opera house of

on 31 March 1917 to a mixed reception. It was frequently performed during the next few years.

Conducting career

1918–1929

In 1918 de Sabata was appointed conductor of the Monte Carlo Opera, performing a wide variety of late-19th-century and contemporary works. In 1925, he conducted the world premiere of '' L'enfant et les sortilèges'' by Ravel. Ravel said that de Sabata was a conductor "the like of which I have never before encountered" and wrote him a note the next day saying that "You have given me one of the most complete joys of my career". Ravel also claimed that, within twelve hours of receiving the score to ''L'enfant'', the conductor had memorized it. In 1921, while still conducting opera at Monte Carlo, de Sabata began his career as a symphonic conductor with the Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. In 1927 he made his U.S. debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, substituting for Fritz Reiner in the first eight concerts of the year. He did the same in 1928.

1929–1945

De Sabata conducted the orchestra of

in concert starting in the 1921–22 season, and conducted opera there from 1929. He became the principal conductor in 1930 in succession to Toscanini. Soon after taking up the post, he resigned because of a disagreement with the orchestra over the poor reception of his composition ''A Thousand and One Nights''. Toscanini wrote him a letter in order to persuade him to return, saying that his absence was "damaging to you and the theater". De Sabata did return to La Scala, and continued in the post for over 20 years. However, he did not reply to Toscanini, and the two conductors remained estranged until the 1950s. During the 1930s, de Sabata conducted widely in Italy and Central Europe. In 1933 he made his first commercial recordings with the Orchestra of the Italian Broadcasting Authority in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, including his own composition ''Juventus''.''Great Conductors – De Sabata''
album, Presto Classical According to

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

's son Romano, de Sabata was "a personal friend" of the Italian dictator, and gave "several concerts" at the leader's Villa Torlonia home. According to George Richard Marek's biography of Toscanini, de Sabata's friendship with Mussolini became another factor distancing him from his former mentor Toscanini. In 1936, he appeared with the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

. In 1939, he became only the second conductor from outside the German-speaking world to conduct at the

Bayreuth Festspielhaus The ''Bayreuth Festspielhaus'' or Bayreuth Festival Theatre (, ) is an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, built by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner and dedicated solely to the performance of his stage works. It is the venue ...

when he led

's opera ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

'' (Toscanini had been the first, in 1930 and 1931). Among the audience at Bayreuth was the young

Sergiu Celibidache Sergiu Celibidache (; ; 13 August 1996) was a Romanian people, Romanian Conducting, conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over fi ...

, who hid in the lavatory overnight in order to surreptitiously attend rehearsals. That same year he made celebrated recordings of Brahms, Wagner and

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

with the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

. He forged a friendship with the young Herbert von Karajan. In the closing stages of the war, de Sabata helped Karajan relocate his family to Italy. In 1940 he met the seventeen-year old Valentina Cortese in Stresa, with whom he began a romantic relationship; They separated in 1948.

1945–1953

After World War II, de Sabata's career expanded internationally. He was a frequent guest conductor in London, New York and other American cities. In 1946 he recorded with the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

for the Decca recording company. In 1947 he switched labels to

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

, recording with the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome. These sessions included the premiere recording of

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

's '' Jeux''. He would go on to make more recordings with the same orchestra in 1948. In 1950 he was temporarily detained at

Ellis Island Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. Owned by the U.S. government, Ellis Island was once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United State ...

along with several other Europeans under the newly passed McCarran Act (the reason was his work in Italy during

Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

regime). In March 1950 and March 1951 de Sabata conducted the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

in a series of concerts in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, many of which were preserved from radio transcriptions to form some of the most valuable items in his recorded legacy. De Sabata's base remained La Scala, Milan, and he had the opportunity to work with two upwardly-mobile sopranos: Renata Tebaldi and Maria Callas. In August 1953 he collaborated with Callas in his only commercial opera recording: Puccini's ''

'' for

(also featuring Giuseppe Di Stefano and

Tito Gobbi Tito Gobbi (24 October 19135 March 1984) was an Italian operatic baritone with an international reputation. He made his operatic debut in Gubbio in 1935 as Count Rodolfo in Bellini's '' La sonnambula'' and quickly appeared in Italy's major oper ...

along with the La Scala orchestra and chorus). This production is widely regarded as one of the greatest opera recordings of all time. One critic has written that de Sabata's success in this ''Tosca'' "remains so decisive that had he never recorded another note, his fame would still be assured".

Heart attack and retirement

The ''Tosca'' recording was planned to be only the first of a series of recordings in which

would set down much of de Sabata's operatic repertoire. However, soon after the sessions, he suffered a heart attack so severe that it prompted him to stop performing regularly in public. His decision to stop conducting has also been attributed to "disillusionment". His scheduled December 1953 La Scala performance of

Alessandro Scarlatti Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque music, Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan sch ...

's ''Mitridate Eupatore'' with Callas was replaced at short notice by an acclaimed Cherubini ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

'' with

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

. He resigned his conducting post at La Scala and was succeeded by his assistant Carlo Maria Giulini. Between 1953 and 1957 he held the administrative position of "Artistic Director" at La Scala. This period was notable for a reconciliation with Toscanini (with whom he had had a cool relationship for twenty years) during a La Scala production of Spontini's '' La vestale'' in 1954. De Sabata conducted only twice more, once in a studio recording of Verdi's '' Requiem'' from June 1954 for

, and for the last time at

's memorial service (conducting the funeral march from

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's '' Eroica Symphony'' at La Scala opera house followed by Verdi's ''Requiem'' in

Milan Cathedral Milan Cathedral ( ; ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary (), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, Nativity of St. Mary (), it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdi ...

) in 1957. The last decade of his life was devoted to composition but with few results. Although Walter Legge (husband of Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf) offered de Sabata an opportunity to conduct the

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...

in 1964 and later suggested de Sabata write a completion to Puccini's opera '' Turandot'', neither opportunity was realised. He enjoyed solving

mathematical Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

problems in his retirement.

Death

Victor de Sabata died of heart disease in Santa Margherita Ligure, Liguria, Italy in 1967, aged 75. At his memorial service, the Orchestra of La Scala performed without a conductor as a mark of respect. De Sabata is buried in the cemetery of near

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

. The "Award Victor de Sabata" is named after de Sabata. A prize for young musicians sponsored by the province of

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

and the region of

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

, the competition takes place in Santa Margherita.

Conducting style

De Sabata's conducting style combined the fiery temperament, iron control and technical precision of Toscanini with greater spontaneity and attention to orchestral color. He was exceptionally demanding of his players: according to one musician: "Those eyes and ears missed nothing ... the players had been made to work harder than ever before and they knew that, without having been asked to play alone, they had been individually assessed". On the podium he "seemed to be dancing everything from a

tarantella Tarantella () is a group of various Southern Italy, southern Italian Italian folk dance, folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania, Sicilia, and Apulia. It is characterized by a fast Beat (music), upbeat tempo, usually in Ti ...

to a sabre dance". He suffered from a limp as a result of a childhood

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

infection. Norman Lebrecht describes him as "a musician whose mild manners turned to raging fury whenever he took stick in hand".Lebrecht
p. 213
/ref> One critic used the phrase "lull and stun" to summarize his technique. A violinist in the

compared de Sabata with Sir

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philh ...

, saying that while Beecham made the orchestra "red hot", de Sabata made it white hot. Another player described de Sabata's appearance when conducting as "a cross between

and

". Double-bass player Robert Meyer, who has played under many leading conductors including Furtwängler, Karajan, Klemperer, Giulini,

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

, Koussevitzky and Stokowski, describes de Sabata as "undoubtedly the finest conductor I have ever encountered". He conducted rehearsals, as well as concerts, from memory. A musician who played under both Toscanini and de Sabata at La Scala compared them, saying:

oscaniniwasn't like "Dede" – De Sabata: he, too, was a great conductor, but he was changeable. One day he would be fine and would conduct a certain way; the next day he would be full of aches and pains and would conduct a different way. He was always somewhat ill. He, too, would be transformed, once he picked up the baton... and I must admit that ''
Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...
'' made an even bigger impression when De Sabata conducted it than with Toscanini. Toscanini was perfection: upright, even. De Sabata, on the other hand, pushed and pulled the music. Afterwards, when Toscanini had left, De Sabata was the only one who could take his place. Despite his faults, he, too, was a great conductor and a musician of the highest order. Once, in ''Turandot'', he heard a mistake made by the third trombone, and it was discovered to be a printer's error that not even Toscanini had caught.

Conductor Riccardo Chailly reports that de Sabata would have the strings sing along with the trombone ''glissandi'' at the climax of Ravel's ''

Boléro ''Boléro'' is a 1928 work for large orchestra by French composer Maurice Ravel. It is one of Ravel's most famous compositions. It was also one of his last completed works before illness diminished his ability to write music. Composition T ...

'', and that Chailly himself asks orchestras to do the same thing.

Criticism

Toscanini did not approve of de Sabata's conducting style or of many of his interpretations: he considered the younger man's gestures to be too flamboyant. Puccini wrote in a letter dating from 1920 that "although e Sabatais an excellent musician of the other school – that is, the modern school – he can't, and does not know how to, conduct my music."

Anecdotes of musical abilities

After de Sabata was shown the score for the first time of

Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

's ''

Enigma Variations Edward Elgar composed his ''Variations on an Original Theme'', Op. 36, popularly known as the ''Enigma Variations'', between October 1898 and February 1899. It is an orchestral work comprising fourteen variations on an original theme. Elgar ...

'', the next day he conducted a rehearsal of the work from memory and pointed out several errors in the orchestral parts which no-one, including Elgar himself, had noticed previously. During a rehearsal of Respighi's '' Pines of Rome'' in London, de Sabata "demonstrated the bowing and fingering of the high cello part in the first movement by playing it—without even a glance at the part. The pianist asked for advice about the solo cadenza, which de Sabata also played by heart. In the rehearsal interval, he asked the '' flicorni'' for the final movement to play their brass fanfares. They did. 'What are you playing?' he asked. 'It is an octave higher.' 'Can't be done, Maestro.' ... The Maestro borrowed one of their instruments and blew the correct notes in the right octave." "A visitor o La Scalarehearsing '' Tristan'' asked Victor de Sabata to take the baton while he tested the sound from the centre of the auditorium. Needless to say, the sound he heard was totally different from the one he produced. De Sabata, without uttering a word, asserted his dominance of the orchestra just by standing there". When Herbert von Karajan was making his own recording of ''Tosca'' in 1962, he would often ask his producer John Culshaw to play selections from the de Sabata/Callas recording to him. Culshaw reports that "One exceptionally tricky passage for the conductor is the entry of Tosca in act 3, where Puccini's tempo directions can best be described as elastic. Karajan listened to de Sabata several times over during that passage and then said, 'No, he's right but I can't do that. That's ''his'' secret.'"

Selected discography

The recordings that de Sabata made in the studio are, with some exceptions, considered less gripping than the best of his work in the concert hall and opera house. (This may be related to the fact that he is said to have hated making recordings). Fortunately there are now several unauthorized "live" recordings that demonstrate how exciting de Sabata could be on the podium (although the sound quality can be problematic). This contrast comes through in the two different versions of

's '' Death and Transfiguration'' and Verdi's '' Requiem'' listed below. *

, Fifth Symphony, live performance with the

, New York, 1950 (currently available on Urania and Tahra: Urania is superior) *Beethoven, Eighth Symphony, live performance with the

, New York, 1951 (currently available on Istituto Discografico Italiano) * Brahms, Fourth Symphony, studio recording with the

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

1939 (currently available on Pearl) *

, '' Jeux'', studio recording with the Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome,

, 1947. ''The premiere recording of this work''. (currently available on Pristine Audio and Testament) *Debussy, '' La mer'', studio recording with the Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome,

1948 (currently available on Testament) * Puccini, ''

'', studio recording with Callas,

1953. ''De Sabata's and Callas's most famous recording''. (currently available on EMI and

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

) * Respighi, '' Feste Romane'', studio recording with the

, 1939 (currently available on Pearl) :This recording was described as "quite simply, sensational, definitive...The piece blazes with colour" in ''Gramophone'' magazine. *Respighi, '' Fontane di Roma'', studio recording with the Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome,

, 1947 (currently available on Testament) *Respighi, '' Pines of Rome'', live performance with the

, New York, 1950 (currently available on Urania) *

Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

, ''

Piano Concerto A piano concerto, a type of concerto, is a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for piano accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuosic showpieces which require an advance ...

'', live performance with

Claudio Arrau Claudio Arrau León (; February 6, 1903June 9, 1991) was a Chilean and American pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning the baroque music, baroque to 20th-century classical music, 20th-century composers, especially B ...

and the

, New York, 1951 * Sibelius, '' First Symphony'', live performance with the

, New York, 1950 (currently available on Urania and Nuova Era) *

, '' Death and Transfiguration'', studio recording with the

1939 (currently available on Pearl) *Richard Strauss, ''Death and Transfiguration'', live performance with the Vienna Philharmonic, Salzburg, 1953 (currently available on IDI and Nuova Era) * Verdi, '' Falstaff'', live performance with Tebaldi and Stabile, La Scala, Milan, 1951 (currently available on Music and Arts, and Urania) **" e of the most remarkable performances of anything by Verdi ever captured on a disc." De Sabata "creates a performance of electric immediacy with an extraordinary attention to the score's detail and architecture." *Verdi, ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'', live performance with Callas, La Scala, Milan, 1952 (currently available on EMI) **Callas and de Sabata "bring an almost supernatural tension to Lady Macbeth's disintegration." "Despite the poor recorded sound, this comes close to dramatic perfection." **"Victor de Sabata's inspired baton makes this performance a gem. Unfortunately, while de Sabata and most of the principals are perfectly fine, there is a severe stature gap in the title role. Mascherini is simply not adequate either to his colleagues or to Verdi's demands. Consequently, for much of the performance, Callas interprets alone. But her brilliant collaboration with de Sabata pays rich dividends." *Verdi, '' Requiem'', live performance with Tebaldi, La Scala, Milan, 1951 (currently available on Urania) **"A total view of the work can be felt, also a keen ear for relevant detail... Here is the only representation of Renata Tebaldi's fervent, soaring soprano in music that ideally suited her, a poised 'huic ergo', finely floated 'sed signifer', electrifying, as is de Sabata, in the Libera me... All in all, this version takes a very high place in the discography of this work." *Verdi, '' Requiem'', studio recording with Schwarzkopf,

1954 (currently available on EMI) **Speeds are "positively grotesque... All are far below Verdi's metronome marks with disastrous results on the work's structure." *

, ''

'', live performance with Gertrude Grob-Prandl and Max Lorenz, La Scala, Milan, 1951 (currently available on Archipel) :" staggering performance in spite of its cuts, and the primitiveness of the recording". The Prelude to Act Three "is one of the most powerful interpretations of this heart-breaking music on record". *Wagner, miscellaneous operatic excerpts, live performance with

Eileen Farrell Eileen Farrell (February 13, 1920 – March 23, 2002) was an American soprano who had a nearly 60-year-long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. NPR noted, "She possessed ...

and the

, New York, 1951 (currently available on Urania).

Compositions

De Sabata's compositions are written in a late-romantic style with similarities to Respighi and, especially,

(one early commentator went so far as to call de Sabata the older composer's "adoptive son"). It was as a composer that de Sabata first came to widespread attention, with the production of his opera ''Il Macigno'' in La Scala's 1917 season followed by performances of his orchestral ''Symphonic Suite'' (1912) and symphonic poem ''Juventus'' (1919) by conductors such as Walter Damrosch,

Pierre Monteux Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in 1 ...

, and

during the early 1920s. His compositions are little-known today, although

Lorin Maazel Lorin Varencove Maazel (; March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American conductor, violinist and composer. He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in t ...

had them in his repertoire. One reason may be that de Sabata did relatively little to perform and publicize his own works, preferring that his music should succeed or fail on its own merits. Critical opinion on the merits of his compositions has long been divided. For example, a 1926 ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

'' review described his ''Gethsemani'' as "shallow, unoriginal music for which even the philanthropic genius of a Toscanini could not achieve distinction", while a critic for '' International Record Review'', writing in the early 2000s, said that the same work "contains some of the loveliest orchestral sounds I have heard in years".

Published compositions

*''Suite per grande orchestra in quattro tempi'', Op. 2 ("Suite for large orchestra in four movements", 1909) *''Il macigno; 3 atti di Alberto Colantuoni'' ("The Rock", opera in 3 acts, 1917). Revised as ''Driada'' in 1935. * ''Melodia per Violino'' (1918) *''Juventus: poema sinfonico'' ("Juventus: symphonic poem", 1919). *''Lisistrata'' (opera, after

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

, 1920). *''La notte di Plàton: quadro sinfonico per orchestra'' ("The night of

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

: symphonic sketch for orchestra", 1923). *''Gethsemani, poema contemplativo per orchestra'' (" Gethsemane, contemplative poem for orchestra", 1925). *'' Mille e una notte: fiaba coreografica in 7 quadri'' (" 1001 nights: choreographic fairy tale in 7 scenes", ballet, 1931). *Incidental music for

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's '' The Merchant of Venice'', 1934.

Recordings of de Sabata's compositions

*''Juventus'', studio recording with the Turin Orchestra of the Italian Broadcasting Authority conducted by the composer, Naxos, 1933 *''La notte di Plàton'', ''Gethsemani'', ''Juventus'', studio recording with the

conducted by Aldo Ceccato, Hyperion, 2001 *''Piano works'', studio recording, Alessandro Marangoni, piano; Bottega Discantica, 2007 *''Mille e una notte'', studio recording with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig conducted by Riccardo Chailly, Decca, 2012 *''Suite Op.2'', ''Juventus'', ''La notte di Plàton'', ''Gethsemani'', studio recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin,

, 2023

Family connections

De Sabata's daughter Eliana (a film screenwriter) is married to conductor Aldo Ceccato, who was also de Sabata's pupil. His granddaughter, Isabella de Sabata, was married to conductor

John Eliot Gardiner Sir John Eliot Gardiner (born 20 April 1943) is an English conductor, particularly known for his performances of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, especially the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of 2000, performing Church cantata (Bach), Bach's church ...

. His grandson, Cristiano Ceccato de Sabata, son of Eliana, is a former student of CAD pioneer John Frazer and worked for architects

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry ( ; ; born February 28, 1929) is a Canadian-American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become attractions. Gehry rose to prominence in th ...

and Zaha Hadid. His second grandson, Francesco Ceccato de Sabata, is the CEO of

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Europe.

Quotes

*"I have in my mind a million notes, and every one which is not perfect makes me mad." *"Conducting is a beastly profession."

Spelling of name

The capitalizations Victor de Sabata and Victor De Sabata are both found, and the first name is often given in the Italian form Vittorio, especially in Italy. However, examples of the conductor's autograph signature clearly show that he spelt his name Victor de Sabata with a lower-case "d", and contemporary playbills indicate that he used the first name Victor, even when performing in Italy.

Notable premieres

In concert *

, '' L'enfant et les sortilèges'',

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

, 21 March 1925 On record *

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

, '' Jeux'', Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome,

, 1947

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

* AMG AllMusic entrybr>Available recordings of de Sabata conducting, from arkivmusic.comAvailable recordings of de Sabata's compositions, from arkivmusic.comBiography from Naxos.com"Victor de Sabata, conductor", Remiscences by Robert Meyer"Victor de Sabata, his conducting style" by Robert Meyer"Victor de Sabata and the ladies" by Robert Meyer"Victor de Sabata and the critics" by Robert Meyer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desabata, Victor 1892 births 1967 deaths 20th-century Italian conductors (music) 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century male composers Italian male composers Italian male conductors (music) Music directors (opera) Musicians from Trieste Italian people of Jewish descent Deutsche Grammophon artists 20th-century Italian male musicians