Antonio Guarnieri
Antonio Guarnieri (Venice, Italy, 1 February 1880 — Milan, Italy, 25 November 1952) was an Italian conductor and cellist. After playing cello in the Martucci string quartet he turned to conducting in 1904, being engaged by the Vienna Court Opera in 1912. He succeeded Arturo Toscanini at La Scala in 1929 and stayed there until shortly before his death. A highly regarded technician at the podium, he conducted many important world premières, Ottorino Respighi's "Belfagor", for instance. It was hearing Guarnieri's conducting of Claude Debussy's "Nocturnes" that caused Claudio Abbado to resolve to become a conductor