Argentine-born pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim gave a concert for peace dubbed 'Music against Violence' in Madrid's Plaza Mayor to show solidarity with the victims of the Middle East conflict.
Barenboim and his West-Eastern-Divan orchestra of Arab and Israeli musicians, which he founded in 1999 with late Palestinian author Edward Said, performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in front of a crowd of 6 to 7,000 people.
The orchestra comprises about 100 young musicians from countries in the Middle East, including 42 Israelis and 26 Arabs, some of whom hail from Lebanon and Syria.
The Israeli offensive against Shiite Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon prevented a dozen of the orchestra's members from attending the concert, the Europa Press news agency reported.
Barenboim, who took Spanish nationality four years ago, noted the 'savage brutality' of the conflict as he prepared for the concert which was attended by Madrid mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon and Said's widow.
It is the third year in a row that Barenboim has been moved by world events to perform in the Spanish capital.
Two years ago, he and his orchestra performed to pay their respects to the victims of the Madrid train bombings on March 11, 2004. Last year he marked the bombings in London on July 7.
Barenboim and Said formed the multi-faith orchestra as a means of fostering friendship between Palestinians and Israelis. They were awarded the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for Concord in 2002 for promoting reconciliation in the region.