Music: Barenboim cancels concerts: representation in USA and Canada

The conductor Daniel Barenboim has to cancel concerts again due to illness. This time the Staatskapelle Berlin is on tour to Canada and the USA from November 25th to December 3rd. Giedrė Šlekytė, Jakub Hrůša and Yannick Nézet-Séguin will take over the leadership of the celebrated orchestra for the 81-year-old conductor at the planned concerts, as the Unter den Linden State Opera announced on Friday.

«I was really looking forward to this tour “But my health simply does not allow me to undertake the strenuous transatlantic trips and the many domestic trips required for this tour,” Barenboim wrote, with “great regret.”

In 1992, as general music director of the State Opera, Barenboim also took over the Staatskapelle, which gained an international reputation under his direction. His opera contract was originally supposed to run until 2027. However, he gave up the musical direction of the State Opera at the beginning of the year due to health reasons. In 2000, the Staatskapelle elected him chief conductor for life – this is now only considered an honorary position.

His successor will be Christian Thielemann, who will come to the Berliner Haus as general music director for the 2024/2025 season.

The Staatskapelle tour starts on November 25th and 26th in Toronto under the direction of conductor Šlekytė. Hrůša will make his debut with the orchestra on November 28th in Chicago. Nézet-Séguin will be at the podium at the concerts in New York on November 30th and December 1st and in Philadelphia on December 3rd.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:231117-99-988846/2