Latest news with #BerlinStateOpera
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. Opera names rising star Domingo Hindoyan as music director
When Domingo Hindoyan, the Venezuelan chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, made his debut with L.A. Opera last November with 'Roméo et Juliette,' Times classical music critic Mark Swed called it 'a coup for the company.' Swed also wondered if it was a 'signal that he is a candidate to succeed Music Director James Conlon, who steps down in 2026?' It turns out Swed was right. On Friday, L.A. Opera announced that Hindoyan has been named the company's Richard Seaver Music Director. He will succeed Conlon, the longtime music director who joined the company in 2006 and announced last year that he will step down at the end of the 2026 season. Conlon will take on the newly created role of conductor laureate. In a statement, Hindoyan said he was deeply honored to become only the third music director in the company's nearly 40-year history. 'From the first rehearsal, I felt a strong connection to the extraordinary musicians, staff, and spirit of this company,' he said. 'It is a privilege to follow Maestro James Conlon, whose legacy has shaped L.A. Opera into what it is today — a dynamic and ambitious institution.' After considering 'dozens' of candidates from around the world, L.A. Opera President and CEO Christopher Koelsch said he was 'struck by the fluidity of his technique and the clarity and command of his musical ideas' after seeing Hindoyan at the Berlin State Opera in 2016. 'His deeply collaborative nature and generous spirit in rehearsal make him a favorite among singers, who are inspired by the space he creates for musical risk-taking and expressive freedom.' Koelsch also praised Hindoyan's 'deep rapport with musicians and audiences alike.' Hindoyan, 45, is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, and began his career as a violinist. Like departing Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, he attended Venezuela's renowned public music education program known as El Sistema. In addition to his role as chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, a role he has held since 2021, Hindoyan has served as principal guest conductor for the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; he has conducted opera productions at New York City's Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Berlin State Opera, Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Dresden Semperoper, Madrid's Teatro Real and Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu. In a statement, Conlon said he was happy to pass the baton to someone who shares his passion for opera. 'Domingo is an artist of exceptional depth and imagination, and I know the company will welcome him warmly,' Conlon said. Hindoyan's five-year contract will begin July 1, 2026, and continue through the 2031 season. According to a Facebook post from Hindoyan, the new role in L.A. will run concurrently with his position with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Hindoyan, son of Venezuelan violinist Domingo Garcia, a former president of the Orquesta Sinfónica Venezuela, is married to the soprano Sonya Yoncheva, who's singing at the Metropolitan Opera in Tchaikovsky's 'The Queen of Spades.' (Performances are scheduled on Wednesday and Saturday.) The couple has two children and lives in Switzerland. In late April, the album 'Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence & Symphony No. 6 'Pathetique,'' from Hindoyan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, was released.
Bloomberg
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
A Russian Soprano Charts a Return to the Top After Ukraine Backlash
Under the gold-embossed ceiling of the Berlin State Opera house, concert-goers sip champagne as ushers in black suits direct patrons to their seats. Two ladies in sequins confer over their programs; nearby, a man in a satin bow tie grins for a photo. Outside, the scene is less genteel. On the boulevard in front of the opera house, around 30 protesters — many of them draped in Ukrainian flags — chant slogans decrying Russian propaganda and argue with arriving ticket-holders. One holds a sign that reads in English: 'Among dozens of world-class opera voices, you choose the voice of a Russian who supports Putin.' An ambulance from Ukraine, damaged by shrapnel, is parked nearby for the occasion.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Daniel Barenboim announces he has Parkinson's disease
The conductor Daniel Barenboim has revealed that he has Parkinson's disease. The 82-year-old musician has been in failing health for some years, and in January 2023 resigned from his position as the general music director of the Berlin State Opera. Although increasingly frail, he has continued to make occasional appearances as a conductor, most recently in London with his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at the 2024 Proms and then at the Royal Festival Hall in November. 'I know that many people have been concerned about my health and I have been very touched by the support I have received over the last three years. I would like to share today that I have Parkinson's disease,' he said in a statement released on Thursday. 'Looking ahead, I am planning to maintain as many of my professional commitments as possible. If I am unable to perform, it is because my health does not allow me to.' 'As ever, I consider the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra my most important responsibility. It is essential for me to ensure the orchestra's long-term stability and development. Barenboim, who was born in Argentina to Jewish parents, jointly founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in 1999 with Palestinian-American academic Edward Said. Based in Seville, the orchestra consists of musicians from around the world – of Egyptian, Iranian, Israeli, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, and Hispanic backgrounds. The musician is a lifelong supporter of the two-state solution to the Israel Palestine conflict and a frequent critic of Israeli government policy. 'You can't make peace with an orchestra,' Barenboim said in an interview in 2008, 'but one can create the conditions for understanding and awaken the curiosity of each individual to listen to the narrative of the other. The Divan was conceived as a project against ignorance. It is absolutely essential for people to understand what the other thinks and feels, without necessarily agreeing with it.' His statement continued: 'I will continue to conduct the Divan whenever my health allows me to. At the same time, I will take an active role in ensuring that the Divan has the opportunity of working with other excellent conductors going forward.' 'I have been navigating this new reality of mine and my focus is on receiving the best available care. I thank everyone for their kindness and well wishes.'
New York Times
06-02-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Daniel Barenboim Announces He Has Parkinson's Disease
Daniel Barenboim, the eminent conductor and pianist who recently stepped back from engagements citing health concerns, said Thursday that he has Parkinson's disease. Announcing the diagnosis in a short news release, Barenboim, 82, said that he still planned to fulfill 'as many of my professional commitments as possible,' including concerts with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, an ensemble he founded in 1999 to bring Israeli and Arab musicians together. 'If I am unable to perform, it is because my health does not allow me to,' Barenboim said, adding that he was adjusting to 'navigating this new reality' and that his focus 'is on receiving the best available care.' Three years ago, Barenboim announced that he was suffering from a 'serious neurological condition' that was affecting his work. In January 2023, he resigned as general music director of the Berlin State Opera because of poor health. A spokeswoman for the Daniel Barenboim Foundation said that the conductor was unavailable for interview. His next scheduled performance was in August as part of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra's summer tour, the spokeswoman said, adding that Barenboim was continuing to teach at the Barenboim-Said Academy, a music school he established in Berlin that brings together students from across the Middle East.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Celebrated conductor Daniel Barenboim reveals Parkinson's diagnosis
Star classical conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim publicly revealed on Thursday that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Barenboim, a renowned Berlin-based musician, has been unable to perform for some time due to illness. "I would like to announce today that I have Parkinson's disease," Barenboim, 82, wrote in a personal statement. "I know that many people have been concerned about my health and I am touched by the support I have received over the past three years." Parkinson's is a nerve-related movement disorder that mainly affects older people. Looking to the future, Barenboim said he plans to maintain as many of his professional commitments as possible. Barenboim was born in Argentina, grew up partly in Israel and as a young prodigy also trained in Austria and France. He is the long-serving general music director of the Berlin State Opera, where he leads the opera's resident Staatskapelle orchestra. He has been credited with building the orchestra's international reputation under his direction. He handed over the musical direction of the Berlin State Opera at the beginning of 2023 due to ill health to his successor, Christian Thielemann. "If I am not able to perform, it is because my health does not allow me to," he wrote in his statement. He said he has come to terms with his new reality and is concentrating on receiving the best possible treatment. The pianist is also known for his extensive recordings, guest appearances with major orchestras around the world, and co-founding the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, an ensemble made up of young musicians from Israel and Arab countries. Barenboim said he considers the orchestra to be his "most important responsibility" and that its "long-term stability and development" remains a priority.
