80-year-old Barenboim left his job as chief conductor at Berlin's state opera last year and stated that he had been afflicted with "a neurological disease".
Now he writes on Instagram:
"I know that many have worried about my health and I am touched by all the support I have received over the past three years. Today, I want to tell you that I have Parkinson's disease. Going forward, I plan to fulfill as many of my professional commitments as my health allows".
Daniel Barenboim has, among other things, been chief conductor of the Orchestre de Paris and musical leader of the Italian opera house La Scala. He had held the position at Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin since 1992.
Barenboim has also distinguished himself for his activism and his work for peace in Israel and Palestine. He has, among other things, led concerts in Gaza and on the West Bank, and he has started a school in Berlin for promising musicians from the Middle East.
