The violin that Carlo Maria Giulini received for Christmas in 1919 inspired the musical enthusiasm of the boy who was only five years old at the time. That marked the beginning of the path he took in order to become one of the greatest conductors of the XX^th century, far-famed for the pliability of his phrasing and the depth of the timbre he could get out of an orchestra. Notorious for his dictatorial personality from a professional point of view, Giulini was nonetheless loved for his humanity and music-related qualities.

The young Giulini made rapid advances by studying the violin, the viola, the composition and how to become a conductor at Santa Cecilia, the prestigious academy in Rome. In 1932 he was already a violinist in the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, performing under the greatest conductors of the time. In 1940, he won a contest for conductors, but his musical career was interrupted when WWII broke out. Despite the fact that he was a sworn pacifist, Giulini was recruited to serve in the Italian army.

After the war, he was conducting for various orchestras throughout the country and he got himself noticed by some legendary conductors, such as Arturo Toscanini and Victor de Sabata, both of them supporting his career. He collaborated with La Scala Opera House for a brief period of time and after that, in the mid-'50s, he made his debut in America, as well, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was a conductor in London too, at both Royal Opera House and Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Regarding the latter, the Italian conductor maintained a professional relationship with the mentioned Orchestra throughout his entire life.

Of a quiet manner, Giulini had an inner fire which would only burst when he was conducting, fire which can be witnessed especially in his performance of the Requiem, by Verdi. Giulini worked regularly with the biggest orchestras in the world at Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam and London, but also in the United States, where he was the music manager of the Los Angeles Philharmonic between 1976 and 1982.

When he died in 2005, at the age of 91 years old, he left behind his legacy - a magnificent discography, with a repertoire varying from opera to symphonies, which was awarded, for that matter, with numerous international prizes.

The 9^th of May, 2014 is the day when we celebrate Carlo Maria Giulini's 100^th anniversary. This is the reason why we are dedicating the Performer of the Day to the Italian conductor on Apreggio, presented by Ana Voinescu, at 10:00.