Daniel Barenboim: We cannot afford the luxury of pessimism

In a moving Times conversation with ex-Diwan violinist Clemency Burton-Hill, Barenboim stays positive about the orchestra he created: ‘We were very lucky that there were enough people on both sides that were interested. When you get a young community like this, it burns quickly in a good way — it didn’t have to be led, it just happened… We discovered a special musical quality that came into being. Maybe exactly because of where they each came from, how they all had to really think alike.’

Barenboim, 81, is suffering from vasculities. Burton-Hill, 42, is struggling with the effects of a brain injury.

Her series 25 Years of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra can be heard on BBC Radio 3