Entertainment

Kurt Mazur hurt in fall from podium in France

April 27, 2012 / 11:03 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Kurt Mazur conducts the New York Philharmonic during a New York City 100th Centennial Concert on July 10, 1998. AP

(CBS/AP) Kurt Masur, legendary former director of the New York Philharmonic, was injured when he fell off a podium Thursday during a concert in the French capital.

The 84-year-old, who was conducting the National Orchestra of France, lost balance during a movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6. He was taken to a Paris hospital, where he is recovering from his injuries.

The orchestra's website says he's expected to be released soon, following overnight tests.

In a statement Friday, President Nicolas Sarkozy sent his best wishes, calling the German-born Masur a "legendary musician."

Sarkozy also recalled the conductor's political engagement, and his "historic role" in helping reconciliation between East and West Germany at the time of the Iron Curtain.

Masur, who led the New York Philharmonic from 1991 to 2002, has been honorary musical director at the Paris-based orchestra since 2008. He has received numerous awards from France, Germany, the U.S. and the U.K.