The Argentinian born conductor Daniel Barenboim said Wednesday he felt moved to be yet again leading an orchestra in Berlin, 20 years after staging a free concert to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall.
He was in Berlin on November 9 1989 to conduct the Berlin Symphony Orchestra for a recording session in the Dahlem district of then West Berlin. Members of this same orchestra ended up giving a free concert for East Berliners to celebrate the end of the city’s separation. During an interview after having performed van Beethovens 9th symphony outdoors in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the chancellor, the President of the Republic and and an outdoor audience of circa 70,000 – he famously called himself a Berliner
Barenboim now lives permanently in Berlin as “conductor for life” at the Berlin State Opera. He holds citizenship in Argentina, Israel, and Spain, along with a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority.
During an interview after having performed Beethovens 9th symphony outdoors in front of the Brandenburg Gate, and an outdoor audience of circa 70,000 – and asked whether or not he himself felt German – he answered, “ No, but I feel I am a Berliner.!”
Barenboim is also known for his work with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a Sevilla-based orchestra of young Arab and Jewish musicians that he co-founded with the late Palestinian-American scholar and activist Edward Said (whom Barenboim called his best friend).
He has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli settlements and of Israel’s government since Rabin. He is also a supporter of Palestinian rights. In 2001, he sparked a controversy in Israel by conducting the music of Wagner in concert, as such a performance had not been staged in Israel since 1938 and was informally taboo.
Aside from Barenboim’s concert at the Berlin Opera, the City of Berlin is planning a “Festival of Freedom” at the Brandenburg Gate, which will end with a firework display set to music.
French, British and Russian leaders, Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will attend the event.
US President Barack Obama will be represented by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, due to previous arranged trips to Asia
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