Rondo: Mr. Barenboim, can you imagine returning to your roots some day, perhaps spending all your time at the piano? Daniel Barenboim: In essence, I’m already doing that. I have reduced conducting to a minimum. You know, in addition to my home orchestras in Berlin and Chicago, I currently only conduct the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic. And I’m once again practicing the piano a great deal. Which, by …
December 2003 I read Spinoza’s Ethics for the first time when I was 13 years old. Of course we studied the Bible at school – which for me is the ultimate philosophical work. However, reading Spinoza opened up a new dimension for me. I am still dedicated to it. Spinoza’s simple principle ‘man thinks’ has become an existential mindset for me. My copy of Ethics has become dog-eared and torn. …
Perhaps the first thing one remembers about Edward Said was his breadth of interest. He was not only at home in music, literature, philosophy, or the understanding of politics, but also he was one of those rare people who saw the connections and the parallels between different disciplines, because he had an unusual understanding of the human spirit, and of the human being, and he recognized that parallels and paradoxes …
Oviedo, Spain. October 2002 Your Majesty Your Highness, Honourable Members of the Authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would first like to express my deep feelings and most sincere gratitude for having the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord conferred not on a handful of men, but on an idea, on hundreds of young people in the Near East who have put their bravest efforts into making a music of harmony, …
The following article by Daniel Barenboim appeared in Welt am Sonntag on 21 July 2002. It is difficult to speak about Palestinian rights when we keep hearing about suicide attacks on the Israeli civilian population. And let it be said loud and clear: there is no justification for Palestinian violence. It must stop. Unresolved, however, is the basic question of Israel’s reaction to such unacceptable actions. In the snail-paced course …
Current Events at the Berlin Opera Houses Much is being written in the German – and the international – press about the future of the Berlin opera houses. Daniel Barenboim, as Artistic Director and General Music Director of the Berliner Staatsoper, is in the thick of the controversy, which has strong artistic and political overtones. Further information on the latest developments in Berlin can be found on the Berliner Staatskapelle website Süddeutsche …
Only twenty-four hours. To change the world you must stick to this timetable. In my dream, I am Prime Minister of Israel. My baton conducts a magnificent new symphony- a Treaty celebrating the harmonious co-existence of Israel and Palestine. In this work I will accomplish what has been impossible until now – the equal rights of these two peoples in the Middle East. The theme of the overture has Jerusalem …
The following is an edited conversation about Wagner that took place between my friend, Edward Saïd, and myself, at Columbia University, where Mr. Saïd is Professor of Comparative Literature and English. The conversation appears in full in the Spring 1998 issue of Raritan, a quarterly publication of Rutgers University. ES: Wagner is a composer who, unlike almost any other composer, lends himself to conferences and discussions. And, of course, associated …
Held in conjunction with a concert of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Tel Aviv, Israel. December 25th 1996. It is with feelings of great emotion that I stand here before you to receive the honorary Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Jerusalem. My emotions are stirred for various reasons, but mainly because of the great honour of being included within a long list of distinguished and important people who have …