Daniel Barenboim Cancels Appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic

Barenboim, who recently revealed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis, will be replaced by Sakari Oramo

The Argentine conductor Daniel Barenboim has had to withdraw from upcoming concert appearances on account of ill health. Barenboim was scheduled to lead the Berliner Philharmoniker in concerts from May 8 to 10 at the Philharmonie Berlin, as well as a concert on May 18 as part of the Mahler Festival at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

The Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo has been engaged to replace Barenboim. The program, which comprises the first movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 10 as well as Das Lied von der Erde, remains unchanged.

In February 2025, Barenboim announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. At that time, he stated that he was "planning to maintain as many of my professional commitments as my health permits."

One of the foremost musicians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Daniel Barenboim served as the general music director at the Berlin State Opera from 1992, among several other prestigious directorships. Alongside Edward Said, he is the co-founder of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which promotes friendship and collegiality between Israel and the Arab nations.

He recently became Honorary Chief Conductor of the Berlin Staatsoper following 30 years with the company and was succeeded by Christian Thielemann.

"The Berliner Philharmoniker are very grateful to Sakari Oramo for his willingness to take over the program unchanged," the orchestra wrote in a statement.