“The years at Scala were happy years, I only have good memories and for that reason I always enjoy coming back here.” Daniel Barenboim has barely landed from Berlin and already feels at home. A small delegation of orchestra members from the Philharmonic welcomed him at the airport. A bond of affection that has never been broken since the days when he was at the helm of Piermarini. “Now I hardly move anymore; my illness forces me to save as much energy as possible. I have the luxury of conducting a few concerts in Berlin, but the trip costs too much effort. The only exception applies to the Scala.” There he will take the podium in the Philharmonie on Monday to conduct a pure Beethoven program, the “Sixth” and the “Seventh”.
“Two very special symphonies, the “Pastorale” is a musical miracle, a case in itself. While the “Seventh” is only apparently cheerful, the Allegretto contains unexpected depths.” The concert will be preceded on Saturday evening by an extraordinary public rehearsal in the Conservatory on the occasion of the day of remembrance, dedicated to the Figli della Shoah association, chaired by Liliana Segre. “Remembrance is more necessary than ever in these frightening times. Anti-Semitism is not over, it is returning in sudden waves, it is creating fear. What happened on October 7th is unforgettable and terrible. How unforgettable and terrible is what is happening in Gaza. The accusation of war crimes is well founded.”
It's hard to make music when the world is collapsing. “And yet it is one of the few weapons of peace we have.” It may seem naive, but it is not. The power of music is unique, a universal language capable of transcending cultural and political barriers and building bridges even between hostile worlds. I believe it even now, when everything seems lost. In the name of this faith, in 1999 he founded, together with the Palestinian intellectual Edward Said, a globally unique orchestra, the West-Eastern Divan, which brings together young musicians from Israel and Palestine. “Because playing with the “enemy” is like listening to his reasons.”
With this in mind, he founded an academy in Berlin in 2015 in which young instrumentalists from the Arab world complete courses in music, but also history and philosophy, inspired by Said's belief that “humanism is the only resistance we still have against Violence that distorts history.” ” “On October 7th they were rehearsing when the news of the Hamas attack came. A trauma for everyone, there was a lot of anger, discussions, but in the end no one left. And a few weeks later At the concert they all played Schönberg's “Verklarte Nacht” and Beethoven's “Seventh” together. The academy continues and I continue to go to classes. Music requires commitment and seriousness.
Properties that are often missing here. “Italian cultural policy is not serious. In fact, sometimes it's even ridiculous. See the case of Lissner's dismissal in Naples and his immediate reinstatement due to ignorance of the legal mechanisms.” His return to La Scala comes a few days after Claudio Abbado's anniversary. «It's hard to believe that ten years have passed. They loved us, I always admired his curiosity for literature and painting. And his generosity to the many young people he raised in his orchestras.”
Only a year ago he left the management of the State Opera for health reasons. His successor is Christian Thielemann. “He was my assistant many years ago. He was 17 and I was rehearsing “Tristan and Isolde”. I showed him the beat in which he wanted to speak, he closed the score and continued everything from memory. A musician of great depth.” What would you say to a young person today? “Choose what interests you and have the courage to fight for your ideals.” However, given the current situation, the choice today lies between optimism and intelligence.”