Around the Music Festival

The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra announced that Daniel Barenboim, who was scheduled to conduct the “European Concert” on May 1st, will step down. This year, the concert will be held in Tsinandali, Georgia, for the first time since the orchestra’s founding in 1991, outside of Europe.

According to the announcement, the reason for the stepping down is health reasons. Barenboim will also step down from the concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic on April 26 and 27, and the concert in Tbilisi on May 2. Daniel Harding will take his place, and this will be his second time conducting the “European Concert” after the Musée d’Orsay in Paris in 2019.

The program remains unchanged, with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Brahms’ Violin Concerto. The soloist will be Lisa Batiashvili, a world-renowned violinist from Georgia who is also the orchestra’s “Artist in Residence” for the 2023/2024 season.

The Berlin Philharmonic’s “European Concert” was founded in 1991 as an idea of ​​Claudio Abbado, who succeeded Herbert von Karajan as chief conductor and artistic director. It has been held every year on May 1st, the anniversary of the orchestra’s founding, in halls and historical buildings across Europe.

PHOTO：Deutsche Grammophon