Only in the conducting world could it be considered early retirement at the age of eighty-six.
It seems most conductors stay on the podium forever. Nikolaus Harnoncourt has decided to go out at the top of his game. All of us have heard performances or seen a sporting event in which one of the performers or competitors has pushed it one season too far. That is what's happening in Los Angeles, where Laker superstar Kobe Bryant has recently announced his retirement, effective the end of this season. In an open letter to Laker fans, Kobe wrote:
"This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye."
Nikolaus Harnoncourt has, in essence, done the same thing. In a handwritten note inserted into the program for a Concentus Musicus concert in Vienna, he wrote:
"Dear audience, my physical strength requires me to cancel my future plans. Great ideas have arisen: An unbelievably deep relationship has developed between us on the stage and you in the hall — we have become a happy community of pioneers! – Much will remain. This year’s cycle will be carried on in my spirit. Remain faithful to it! Yours Nikolaus Harnoncourt"
His career spanned the breadth of musical history. He conducted operas by composers ranging from Monteverdi to Gershwin.
He seems to relish making music, as evidenced in a performance of J.S. Bach's Magnificat in D, BWV 243, seen below.
The world is a richer place for Nikolaus Harnoncourt being in it...his will be difficult shoes to fill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr5cKdC3v3E