Daniel Barenboim Conducts Final Concert with the Berlin Staatsoper

After 30 years with the company, Barenboim becomes its Honorary Chief Conductor and hands the baton to Christian Thielemann

The Argentine conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim has conducted his final concert at the Berlin Staatsoper, where he has served as General Music Director for the last 30 years. Barenboim elected to stand down from his position in 2023, owing to a number of complications with his health in 2022.

Following his final concert, Barenboim was honored in a short ceremony — in which Berlin's Senator for Culture, Joe Chialo, thanked Barenboim for his long service. Barenboim was then given the title of Honorary Chief Conductor, and was officially succeeded by Christian Thielemann.

During his time at the Staatsoper, Barenboim was a significant figure — not just in the music world, but also in German culture more broadly. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, he brought the company to international prominence. Then, in 2017, he pushed for a costly renovation of the opera house, which now has over 500 employees and a budget of over €81.4 million.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to professional pianist parents, Barenboim made his public debut at age seven and his international debut at age 10. He went on to become an acclaimed concert pianist and conductor. In 1991, Barenboim became music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, succeeding Sir Georg Solti, and a year later, his tenure with the Berlin State Opera bolstered his global influence as he completed international tours and made award-winning recordings.

Barenboim has cultivated a position as one of the foremost musicians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. 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.