Daniel Barenboim will Step Back from Performing Due to Ill Health

Barenboim, who has been diagnosed with a serious neurological condition, says he feels "not only content but deeply fulfilled" about both the past and the future

79-year-old Israeli pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim has publicly announced his intention to step back from his performing career, after he was diagnosed with a serious neurological condition. Barenboim has already had to cancel planned appearances on two occasions in 2022.

One of the foremost musicians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Barenboim has been the general music director at the Berlin State Opera since 1992, among other prestigious directorships. Alongside Edward Said, he is the co-founder of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which promotes friendship and collegiality between Israel and the Arab nations.

"It is with a combination of pride and sadness that I announce today that I am taking a step back from some of my performing activities, especially conducting engagements, for the coming months," Barenboim wrote.

"My health has deteriorated over the last months, and I have been diagnosed with a serious neurological condition. I must now focus on my physical well-being as much as possible."