SHORT TAKES : Berlin Orchestra Hires Abbado

WEST BERLIN — Italian maestro Claudio Abbado has signed a seven-year contract with the Berlin Philharmonic, succeeding the late Herbert von Karajan.

Abbado, 57, was picked last October by orchestra members to succeed Von Karajan, who died in July, 1989.

Orchestra spokesman Helge Gruenewald declined to say how much Abbado will be paid under the contract signed Tuesday, but the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel said the maestro will receive salary and benefits totaling $500,000 a year.