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COPYRIGHT 2006 All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of The Condé Nast Publications Inc.
On June 17th, Daniel Barenboim ended his decade-and-a-half run as the music director of the Chicago Symphony with a gritty, impassioned performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Before launching into the work, Barenboim delivered a speech in which he reflected bemusedly on the business of conducting. The celebrated Argentine-Israeli maestro--who has held posts on several continents, maintained a virtuoso piano career, written and lectured widely, and led the remarkable West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, bringing together Israeli and Arab players--spoke aloud the prosaic paradox that so often puzzles newcomers: the conductor is the center of attention, yet he makes no sound. He is, Barenboim said, "permanently dependent on the ability and willingness of the musicians to play in a certain way." A conductor deserves his title, Barenboim went on, only when he has acquired the players' trust. Pride filled Barenboim's voice as he declared that he had gained that trust--for much of his tenure, there was resistance from factions in the orchestra--and that he had just received the unofficial title of Honorary Conductor for Life. He then gave the downbeat for Beethoven's D-minor Allegro ma non troppo. The sound that flowed around...
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