Barenboim’s Mixed Legacy

Daniel Barenboim’s departure from the Chicago Symphony is finally at hand. So what has the enigmatic conductor’s 15 years at the helm in Chicago meant to the orchestra? “Some players, critics and concertgoers complained that he was inconsistent, rarely conducting the same piece of music the same way twice, often wildly distorting the musical fabric in the process. Why, Barenboim wondered in turn, would anyone want to give the same performance night after night?”