Daniel Barenboim, the eminent conductor and pianist who recently stepped back from engagements citing health concerns, said Thursday that he has Parkinson’s disease.
Announcing the diagnosis in a short news release, Barenboim, 82, said that he still planned to fulfill “as many of my professional commitments as possible,” including concerts with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, an ensemble he founded in 1999 to bring Israeli and Arab musicians together.
“If I am unable to perform, it is because my health does not allow me to,” Barenboim said, adding that he was adjusting to “navigating this new reality” and that his focus “is on receiving the best available care.”
Three years ago, Barenboim announced that he was suffering from a “serious neurological condition” that was affecting his work. In January 2023, he resigned as general music director of the Berlin State Opera because of poor health.
A spokeswoman for the Daniel Barenboim Foundation said that the conductor was unavailable for interview. His next scheduled performance was in August as part of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra’s summer tour, the spokeswoman said, adding that Barenboim was continuing to teach at the Barenboim-Said Academy, a music school he established in Berlin that brings together students from across the Middle East.
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