Star Israeli-Argentine conductor Barenboim clears schedule for surgery
La Scala opera house says 79-year-old pianist known for promoting cooperation among young musicians from Israel and Arab nations won’t be back on stage until at least June 13
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ROME — Legendary conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim has cleared his schedule for the coming weeks to undergo surgery, Milan’s celebrated La Scala opera house said Sunday.
“Mr. Barenboim is forced to suspend his activity in the coming weeks to undergo surgery,” the venue, where the 79-year-old was formerly principal guest conductor and musical director, said in a statement.
Argentina-born Barenboim has been acclaimed for a stellar career, which saw him begin performing internationally as a pianist at the age of 10, and then become a leading conductor.
He earned further renown when he co-created a foundation and orchestra to promote cooperation among young musicians from Israel and Arab nations.
Barenboim was to have performed a series of Beethoven sonatas on Tuesday as part of a series of concerts showcasing great pianists, but that program will be postponed to June 13.
Next Saturday, the multi-Grammy award winner was to have played with the Scala’s Philharmonia under the baton of Indian Zubin Mehta. A fresh date has yet to be arranged for that concert.
Barenboim has been the general music director of the Berlin State Opera since 1992, as well as its Staatskapelle orchestra, where he is under contract through to 2027.
“I shall remain as long as I have the strength. Otherwise I shall leave. I do not wish to hang around as a relic of the past,” he told AFP last year.
In 2008, he took Palestinian citizenship to add to his other nationalities of Argentinian, Israeli, and Spanish — using that occasion to describe the destinies of Israelis and Palestinians as “inextricably linked.”
The Times of Israel Community.