Frühbeck hangs on

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, the veteran Spanish conductor, nearly collapses toward the end of a concert with the National Symphony Orchestra, but hangs on to complete Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.”

No word yet on what exactly happened, but the NSO says the 80-year-old Frühbeck intends to lead tonight’s concert as scheduled, Philip Kennicott reports in The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/conductor-rafael-fruhbeck-de-burgos-finishes-concert-despite-apparent-health-issue/2014/03/14/a14670d4-abec-11e3-98f6-8e3c562f9996_story.html?hpid=z4

UPDATE (March 18): Norman Lebrecht reports that NSO Assistant Conductor Ankush Kumar Bahl stepped in on March 15 for Frühbeck, who showed symptoms of pneumonia:

http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2014/03/sticken-spanish-conductor-may-have-pneumonia.html