Abbado currently heads the Berlin Philharmonic, which he first conducted in in 1966. He was appointed principal conductor and artistic director of the BPO in 1989. Widely recognized as one of today's greatest conductors, Abbado has won numerous awards, including the Legion of Honor from the French Ministry of Culture; the Gran Croce, Italy's highest honor; and the Bundesverdienstkreuz, Germany's highest civilian honor. The Vienna Philharmonic awarded him their Ring of Honor in 1973, and the Golden Nicolai Medal in 1980. In 1985 he received the Gold Medal of the International Gustav Mahler Society in recognition of his service to the music of Gustav Mahler. He is an honorary member of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna and has received honorary degrees from the universities of Cambridge, Aberdeen and Ferrara. In 1994 Claudio Abbado was awarded the International Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, Germany's most prestigious music award.

Abbado and Prokofiev

Abbado is less a specialist of Prokofiev than a phenomenal conductor with a tremendous range. He has also recorded a great number of Prokofiev's works, including many minor orchestral and chamber works. In this regard, he has distinguished himself from other great conductors who have recorded Prokofiev. Many of his recordings of Prokofiev have earned meritorious distinction from listeners and music critics alike. Most regarded are his pairings with pianists Martha Argerich and Evgeny Kissin on the Piano Concerto No. 3.