Conductor Thomas Guggeis replaces ill Daniel Barenboim for the tour of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
The legendary pianist, conductor, and co-founder of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) has had to withdraw at short notice from his European tour, which had been planned for months. Barenboim was recently diagnosed with an inflammatory vascular disease. He has been hospitalized for two weeks. Doctors expect a full recovery. They urged him to complete his current treatment and withdraw from the upcoming concert tour to focus on his recovery.
He will be replaced by conductor Thomas Guggeis, Barenboim's former assistant. Since the 2020/21 season, he has been Staatskapellmeister at the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, and from the 2023/24 season he will become General Music Director at the Oper Frankfurt Before taking up his post in Frankfurt, he will conduct at venues such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Semperoper in Dresden, and the Vienna State Opera. He made his successful concert debut with a number of renowned ensembles, including the Orchestre de Paris, the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Staatskapelle Berlin, to name just a few.
Daniel Barenboim says: "Withdrawing from this tour is painful for me. My work with the WEDO is very special to me, and I was very much looking forward to performing Smetana's Ma Vlast together. However, I must now prioritize my health. I am grateful that Thomas Guggeis has agreed to lead the tour. " Ma Vlast " means "My Homeland," and the fact that the WEDO—which still has no homeland—will perform this work in Prague is very significant and symbolic. I am very happy that the tour is taking place and will be with all the musicians in spirit. I look forward to seeing them again this summer."
The tour takes the orchestra across Europe to Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Czech Republic and culminates in the eagerly awaited concerts at the opening of the Prague Spring Festival.
Tour dates:
May 5th, 8:30 p.m.: Philharmonie de Paris
May 6th, 8:00 p.m.: Teatro alla Scala
May 8, 8:00 PM: Isarphilharmonie Munich
May 9th, 8:00 p.m.: Palais des Beaux-Arts
May 10th, 8:00 p.m.: Luxembourg Philharmonic
May 12/13, 8:00 PM: Smetana Hall Prague
Program:
BEDŘICH SMETANA - Má vlast (My Fatherland)