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Daniel Barenboim stepping back from performing.

One the great musicians of my lifetime. I was only eleven when I was given his recordings of of the Emperor Concerto and the Third by Beethoven with Otto Klemperer. I still have his Beethoven Concerto Cycle.

He is also a remarkable human as well, and one notable achievement was his establishment of the East West Divan Orchestra. A peacemaker in a violent World.

Best wishes from George
 
He looked markedly unwell conducting the VPO New Year Concert this year, then an announcement that he was being treated for a vascular inflammatory disease in May which did not sound at all good. His influence as a pianist and conductor is immense but then there’s the fearless way he has championed music and cultural solidarity in the face of political criticism- to the extent of being labelled “an enemy of the State of Israel” by some past minister in the Knesset.
His speech at the Proms following the Brexit referendum was unplifting. I hope this isn’t the end of his professional career, the world will be a darker place without him.
 
"We are sorry to inform you that it is not possible for Maestro Daniel Barenboim to travel abroad in January 2023. Therefore, he cannot play at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on Saturday 14 January. We are in the process of finding a rescheduled date with him and and Domingo Hindoyan in a future season. We wish Maestro Barenboim well and look forward to that visit.

We are pleased to announce that the exciting internationally renowned Víkingur Ólafsson has made time in his very busy concert diary to take over this Liverpool concert on Saturday 14 January, in which he will play the Schumann Piano Concerto."
 
I see Barenboim has now resigned from the Staatsoper after 30 years. An astonishing relationship. His very serious health condition made continuing impossible. Opera conducting must be one of the most arduous careers in music even for a fit and healthy person.

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/classi...nboim-to-step-down-from-the-staatsoper-berlin

This really does signal the end of an era. Time nor tide ... But it always seems a bit of a surprise when it happens.

Best wishes from George
 
Don’t know if anyone watched his January appearance with his contemporary from Buenos Aires, Martha Argerich and the Berlin Philharmonic on streaming. I assumed it was his swan song, his frailty and the way he was fêted by both audience and musicians.

By chance I was amazed to come across notice of a future concert again at the Philharmonie with the Berlin Staatskapelle with some tickets still for sale which I bought. Two hours later the concert details but not the date went blank and further ticket purchases were not possible. I googled ‘Barenboim cancellation’ and saw a few hours previously he had to cancel a forthcoming recital in Monaco but nothing about Berlin.

I am hoping he is holding out to make what potentially might be his final appearance with his own orchestra in Berlin. The programme is almost full circle- the works he covered as a young man during his time in London when he was married to Jacqueline Du Pré: Elgar, Enigma Variations and Mozart concerto No.27, directed from the keyboard. If it comes off it will be a moving experience.
 


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