7 Quotes & Sayings By Daniel Barenboim

Daniel Barenboim was born in Israel in 1944. He studied piano and conducting in his homeland, and made his international breakthrough when he took up the post of Music Director of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, based in Jerusalem. Since then the orchestra has toured the world. As a conductor Barenboim is particularly associated with contemporary music; he has especially championed composers living in the Middle East, including Hassan Khan, for whom he wrote his orchestral work The Path Of Peace. He is also known for his work with Mahler's Symphony No Read more

3, which he premiered in November 1988 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Barenboim founded the Internationales Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Germany, in 1993, which incorporates an extensive library and archives devoted to the composer's life and work. The Beethoven Haus is also responsible for presenting international performances of Beethoven's music. He is married to pianist Pessah Barenboim and they have three children: Mani (b. 1977), Emma (b.

1983) and Daniel (b. 1987).

1
I believe in the understanding of difficult situations, difficult music, or any kind of difficulties, through familiarity. Familiarity, in this case, does not breed contempt, but breeds understanding. Daniel Barenboim
2
Tradition demands that we not speak poorly of the dead. Daniel Barenboim
3
We need to take music out of the ivory tower - both for musicians and for the public. Otherwise, classical music will not survive the 21st century. Daniel Barenboim
4
It's funny, because in 1970 I met the Beatles quite by a chance at a party. It was the Beethoven bicentenary, and I was then also playing the Beethoven Sonatas. And that's all they wanted to hear about - I wanted to talk about them, and all they wanted to talk about was Beethoven. Daniel Barenboim
5
To have real knowledge, one must understand the essence of things and not only their manifestations. Daniel Barenboim
6
Now the first step has to be taken, the step towards democracy. This step is full of risks, and requires trust on all sides. We don't know where it will lead. But if we just stand still, we will have no chance of escaping the violence. Daniel Barenboim