Three players speak out against Barenboim

The German controversialist Manuel Brug quotes from three musicians who say they suffered intolerable bullying from Daniel Barenboim while playing in the Staatsoper orchestra in Berlin.

Unlike the recent VAN article, whose informants were anonymous, Brug in Die Welt names the timpanist Willi Hilgers, the trombonist Martin Reinhardt and the violinist Beate Schubert, using comments gleaned from their Facebook pages.

Hilgers, who is now solo timpanist of Bavarian State Opera, says that Barenboim’s conduct towards him led to depression and high blood pressure, requiring him to go on medication.

Brug concludes that it’s time to call time on Barenboim, who will be 80 in 2022.

Full article here.

UPDATE: More, much more, here.