Conductor dies on stage

Sinopoli: Married with two sons

BERLIN, Germany -- Italian conductor and composer Giuseppe Sinopoli has died of a heart attack after collapsing on stage.

He was taken ill during a performance of the Verdi opera "Aida" at Berlin's Deutsche Oper late on Friday, officials said.

The opera house said in a statement Sinopoli, 54, was taken to a nearby heart clinic but died after attempts to revive him failed.

Sinopoli, who was born in Venice in 1946, worked as a conductor in Venice, Hamburg, Vienna, Munich, London and New York.

One of the high points of his career was the 1981 premiere of his own "Lou Salome" opera in Munich.

Friday's "Aida" performance was his first engagement with the Deutsche Oper since 1990. He was married with two sons.

Deutsche Oper Berlin
OperaWeb: Giuseppe Sinopoli

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