Daniel Barenboim on Friday announced his resignation as the general music director of Berlin's Staatsoper, a job that he has held for over three decades, saying that his health has become too poor to carry on.
The renowned conductor and pianist, who turned 80 in November, has been in the post since 1992. He announced in October that he was “taking a step back” from some of his performing activities for a period of months after being diagnosed with a “serious neurological condition.”
In a statement issued by the Staatsoper, Barenboim said he will step down on Jan. 31.
“Unfortunately, my health has deteriorated significantly in the past year,” he said. “I can no longer deliver the performance that is rightly demanded of a general music director.”
Barenboim said that his years at the opera house on Berlin's Unter den Linden boulevard “inspired us in every respect in musical and human terms.” And he said he was “happy and proud” that the Staatskapelle orchestra, based at the Staatsoper, made him its chief conductor for life.
“We became a musical family over the years and will continue to be one,” Barenboim added. He said that he is still prepared to conduct in the future.
