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Daniel Barenboim (b. November 15 , 1942 ) is a Pianist and Conductor . He lives in Berlin and holds citizenship in Argentina , Israel , and Spain . He was born in Buenos Aires , Argentina ; his parents were Russia n Ashkenazi Jew s. Barenboim first came to fame as a pianist but now is as well-known as a conductor, and for his work with an orchestra of young Arab and Jewish musicians, based in Seville, Spain, called the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra , which he co-founded with the late Palestinian American intellectual and activist Edward Said , whom Barenboim has called his best friend. Barenboim has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli Settlements and of Israel's government since Rabin , and supporter of Palestinian rights. In 2001 , he sparked a controversy in Israel by conducting the music of Wagner in concert. BIOGRAPHY Marriages Career Barenboim started piano lessons at the age of five with his mother, continuing to study with his father Enrique, who remained his only teacher. In August 1950 , when he was only seven years old, he gave his first formal concert in Buenos Aires. In for a Jewish child to be performing in Berlin. In 1955 Barenboim studied Harmony and Composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris . Barenboim made his debut as a pianist in Vienna and Rome in 1952 , Paris in 1955 , London in 1956 , and New York in 1957 under the baton of Leopold Stokowski . Regular concert tours of Europe , the United States , South America , Australia and the Far East followed thereafter. Barenboim made his first recording in 1954 , and later recorded complete cycles of the Piano Sonata s of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig Van Beethoven and Piano Concerto s by Mozart (as both conductor and pianist), Beethoven (with Otto Klemperer and later as conductor and pianist with the Berlin Philharmonic ), Johannes Brahms with John Barbirolli and Zubin Mehta , and Bartók with Pierre Boulez . Following his debut as a conductor with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London in 1967 , Barenboim was invited to conduct by many European and American symphony orchestras. Between 1975 and 1989 he was music director of the Orchestre De Paris , where he conducted much Contemporary Music . Barenboim made his opera conducting debut in 1973 with a performance of Mozart's '' Don Giovanni '' at the Edinburgh Festival . He made his debut at Bayreuth in 1981 , conducting there regularly until 1999 . In 2006, Barenboim was the ''BBC'' Reith Lecture r, giving five lectures called 'In the Beginning was Sound' from London, Chicago, Berlin, and twice from Jerusalem in which he meditated on music, how it is created, one's experience of it, and its place in life. ''a)'' 5 ''b)'' 6 ''c)'' 7 ''d)'' 8 In the fall of 2006, Barenboim gave the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures at Harvard University entitled 'Sound and Thought'.9 MUSIC Daniel Barenboim is considered one of the most prominent musicians of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, as both pianist and conductor. He is noted for his mastery of conveying Musical Structure , and for a deep sensitivity to Harmonic nuances. In the beginning of his career, Barenboim gained widespread acceptance mainly as a pianist. He concentrated on music of the 's piano Trios (with du Pré and Zukerman), and Schubert 's Trout Quintet (with du Pré, Perlman, Zukerman, and Zubin Mehta ). Notable recordings as a conductor include: the complete . In his later years, Barenboim widened his concert repertoire, performing works by of his birthplace, Argentina . The study of old instruments and historic performance practice has taught us a great deal, but the main point, the impact of harmony, has been ignored. This is proved by the fact that tempo is described as an independent phenomenon. It is claimed that one of Bach's gavottes must be played fast and another one slowly. But tempo is not independent! ... I think that concerning oneself purely with historic performance practice and the attempt to reproduce the sound of older styles of music-making is limiting and no indication of progress. Mendelssohn and Schumann tried to introduce Bach into their own period, as did Liszt with his transcriptions and Busoni with his arrangements. In America Leopold Stokowski also tried to do it with his arrangements for orchestra. This was always the result of "progressive" efforts to bring Bach closer to the particular period. I have no philosophical problem with someone playing Bach and making it sound like Boulez. My problem is more with someone who tries to imitate the sound of that time...''Ich bin mit Bach aufgewachsen'' ("I was reared on Bach"), Barenboim's liner notes for his recordings of Bach 's Well-Tempered Clavier . Translated by Gery Bramall. CONDUCTING WAGNER IN ISRAEL On July 7 , 2001 , Barenboim led the Berlin Staatskapelle in part of Richard Wagner 's opera '' Tristan Und Isolde '' at the Israel Festival in Jerusalem . The concert sparked controversy. Wagner's music had been unofficially Taboo in Israel concert halls (although recordings of it were widely purchased and listened to) since the Kristallnacht in 1938, because of Wagner's "racial" anti-Semitism, which presaged and quite likely influenced Hitler's; previously the Palestine Philharmonic had performed Wagner's music. Barenboim had long opposed the ban, regarding it as reflecting what he calls a "diaspora" mentality that is no longer appropriate to Israel. In a conversation with Edward Said (published in the book ''Parallels and Paradoxes'') he says that "Wagner, the person, is absolutely appalling, despicable, and, in a way, very difficult to put together with the music he wrote, which so often has exactly the opposite kind of feelings ... noble, generous, etc." He calls Wagner's anti-Semitism obviously "monstrous," and feels it must be faced, and argues that "Wagner did not cause the Holocaust." Barenboim originally had been scheduled to perform the first act of '' Die Walküre '' with three singers, including Tenor Plácido Domingo . However, strong protests by some Holocaust survivors, as well as the Israeli government, led the festival authorities to ask for an alternative program. (The Israel Festival's Public Advisory board, which included some Holocaust survivors, had originally approved the program.) Ohad Gozani, "Israeli battle over Wagner". ''Telegraph'', 5 June 2001. Barenboim agreed to substitute music by in the hall, with some audience members calling Barenboim a "fascist." In the end, according to reports in the Israeli press, about 50 attendees walked out, and about 1000 remained, applauding loudly after the performance. (According to Israeli newspaper interviews, at least one who remained in attendance was a Holocaust survivor, again undermining the simple assertion that all survivors opposed the performance of Wagner in Israel.) Barenboim regarded the performance of Wagner as a political statement, and said he had decided to defy the taboo on Wagner when a news conference he held the previous week was interrupted by the ringing of a mobile phone to the tune of Wagner's '' Ride Of The Valkyries '' John Whitley, "Barenboim the taboo-breaker". ''Telegraph'', 25 August 2001. . "I thought if it can be heard on the ring of a telephone, why can't it be played in a concert hall?" he said. SYMPATHIES With respect to the Israel-Palestinean conflict, Barenboim has spoken about the need for both sides to begin to understand each other: "There is no way Israel will deal with the Palestinians if the Palestinians do not understand the suffering of the Jewish people." In an interview with British music critic Norman Lebrecht in 2003 , he accused the Israeli government of behaving in a manner which was, "morally abhorrent and strategically wrong", and, "putting in danger the very existence of the state of Israel." Norman Lebrecht, "Daniel Barenboim - Playing Politics". ''La Scena Musicale'', 3 December 2003. As a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinians , Barenboim has given performances in the West Bank . Jonathan Steele (with Reuters), "Barenboim defies Israeli opinion". ''The Guardian'', 11 September 2002. In Prince Of Asturias Awards for their work in "improving understanding between nations." Barenboim wrote a book together with Said, ''Parallels and Paradoxes'', based on a series of public discussions held at New York's Carnegie Hall . Michael Kennedy, "A duet for solo voice". ''Telegraph'', 23 February 2003. In September 2005 Barenboim refused to be interviewed by uniformed Israel Army Radio reporter Dafna Arad , considering the wearing of the uniform insensitive to the Palestinians present. Then Israeli Minister of Education, Limor Livnat ( Likud ), was quoted as describing Barenboim as "a real Jew hater" and "a real anti-semite". Conductor Barenboim in radio row BBC News, 3 September 2005 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
;Doctors '' Honoris Causa ''
Grammy Award For Best Opera Recording :
Grammy Award For Best Chamber Music Performance :
Grammy Award For Best Orchestral Performance :
Grammy Award For Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra) :
Grammy Award For Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra) :
Wolf Prize In May 2004 , Barenboim was awarded the Wolf Prize at a ceremony at the Israeli Knesset . Education Minister Livnat originally held up the nomination until Barenboim apologized for his earlier performance of Wagner in Israel. Ohad Gozani, "Barenboim changes tune". ''Telegraph'', 17 December 2003. He took the opportunity to express his opinions on the political situation: "I am asking today with deep sorrow: Can we, despite all our achievements, ignore the intolerable gap between what the Declaration of Independence promised and what was fulfilled, the gap between the idea and the realities of Israel? Does the condition of occupation and domination over another people fit the Declaration of Independence? Is there any sense in the independence of one at the expense of the fundamental rights of the other? Can the Jewish people whose history is a record of continued suffering and relentless persecution, allow themselves to be indifferent to the rights and suffering of a neighboring people? Can the State of Israel allow itself an unrealistic dream of an ideological end to the conflict instead of pursuing a pragmatic, humanitarian one based on social justice?" Daniel Barenboim, "The Statement of Daniel Barenboim on May 9th 2004 at the Knesset On the Occasion of Receiving the Wolf Prize." Education Minister Livnat and Israeli President Moshe Katsav criticized Barenboim for his speech. "Barenboim Irks Israelis With Criticism". Associated Press, 10 May 2004. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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