The pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, 82, has announced that he has Parkinson’s disease.

“I know that many people have been concerned about my health,” wrote Barenboim. “I have been very touched by the support I have received over the last three years. I would like to share today that I have Parkinson’s Disease. Looking ahead, I am planning to maintain as many of my professional commitments as my health permits.”

Among those commitments is the continuation of the work of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which he co-founded with the Palestinian-American intellectual Edward Said in 1999. It is, said Barenboim, “my most important responsibility. It is essential for me to ensure the orchestra’s long-term stability and development.”

Daniel Barenboim. Photo courtesy Decca Classics

“I will continue to conduct the Divan whenever my health allows me to. At the same time, I will take an active role in ensuring that the Divan has the opportunity of working with other excellent conductors going forward.”

Since stepping down from the role general music director of the Berlin State Opera in January 2023 due to health problems, the Berlin-based Argentine-Israeli maestro has made few public appearances as...