Daniel Barenboim in conversation with Hande Küden (18 min.)

Daniel Barenboim sees his position as honorary conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker not only as a joy and a privilege, but also as a responsibility. With this in mind, he took over the direction of a concert at short notice in April 2021 after conductor Mikko Franck had to cancel. Instead of the originally planned Fifth Symphony by Sibelius, Barenboim included Johannes Brahms’s First Symphony in the programme. Here he talks about the complicated genesis of the First Symphony and the influence of Beethoven as a role model on Brahms. He also shares his thoughts on the approach to preparing new pieces.