Last autumn he was forced to slow down and now he is leaving his job.
“Unfortunately, my health has deteriorated significantly over the past year. I am no longer able to perform at the level that is rightly expected of a chief conductor,” Barenboim said in a statement.
Among other things, Daniel Barenboim has been chief conductor of the Orchester de Paris and musical director of the Italian opera house La Scala. He has held the current position at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin since 1992.
In his farewell, he thanks, among others, former Chancellor Angela Merkel for often coming and listening when he performed.
Daniel Barenboim has also distinguished himself for his activism and his work for peace in Israel and Palestine. Among other things, he has led concerts in Gaza and the West Bank and he has started a school in Berlin for promising musicians from the Middle East.