Around the Music Festival

The Grafenegg Festival in Austria announced that Zubin Mehta, who was scheduled to conduct the Tonkünstler Orchestra, the festival’s resident orchestra, has canceled due to illness. Mehta is currently 89 years old.

The concert Mehta canceled was the closing concert scheduled for September 7. Featuring an all-Brahms program—Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 1—with music festival artistic director Rudolf Buchbinder as soloist, it had drawn attention as Mehta’s first time conducting the Tonkünstler Orchestra in 63 years. However, the announcement that Daniel Barenboim would step in as his replacement surprised everyone.

The 82-year-old Barenboim, who had been canceling engagements since revealing his Parkinson’s diagnosis in February, had only just returned to the podium in August to conduct the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra’s summer tour.

This marks Barenboim’s festival debut, and his first collaboration with both Buchbinder and the Tonkünstler Orchestra. The program will remain unchanged.

PHOTO：Salzburger Festspiele　/　West-Eastern Divan Orchestra　/　Marco Borrelli


　　Festival’s Profile is here　▷