He passed away on April 20, 2001 on the podium at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the brilliant rogue, the punk rock rebel of conductors.
Wednesday is the 10th anniversary of his death and to mark the occasion, Rai5 is broadcasting a documentary called “Sinopoli: i tre cuori dell’uomo”, (Rai5 at 11:15pm, Italy time) a retrospective of the Italian conductor's multifaceted identities -- maestro, doctor, composer, father, writer, archaeologist. His intellectual way with Strauss and Mahler still challenge us to rethink symphony, Verdi, too.
Two years ago, on the 8th anniversary of his passing, we wrote this:
Opera houses plan very much in advance their future seasons: it'd be very fitting if an Italian opera house had the grace of staging Sinopoli's own opera, the wondrous Lou Salome, to remember the tenth anniversary of the maestro's passing, that will happen in 2011. It's two years from now; it's the least Italy can do to remember her fallen genius.
We wanted this as much as we wanted Mario Kart for Super NES, Xmas 1992.