The Italian composer and conductor Ezio Bosso has asked fans to stop begging him to play the piano as two of his fingers “no longer respond well” because of a neurodegenerative illness.

Bosso was conducting his Philharmonic Orchestra of Europe at a theatre in Foggia, in the southern Italian region of Puglia, on Saturday night when he reportedly came under pressure from the audience to play.

“If you love me, please don’t ask me to play any more,” Italian newspapers quoted him as saying during a discussion at an exhibition centre in Bari the next day.

“You do not know the suffering it causes me … I have two fingers that no longer respond well and so I can’t give as much to the music.”

Bosso, 48, has been suffering from a neurodegenerative disease since 2011. He initially continued to play the piano but since 2017 has concentrated on conducting and composing.

“Renouncing the piano isn’t such a heavy weight,” he said. “I always considered myself to be a pianist ‘by chance’. My true vocation is the podium and writing music. I turned 48 on 13 September – I consider it the beginning of a second life, all dedicated to my orchestra.”

Bosso, who is from Turin but lives in London, made the comments during a discussion about society, music and orchestras. He later sought to reiterate to his fans that he wasn’t abandoning music altogether after he accused the media of “looting” his words.

“I only replied that I would no longer play the piano solo as I would [play] worse than before,” he wrote on Facebook.

“I already announced this two years ago … but I didn’t retire, I continue to make music, and better than before! I am very happy with what I do, but it pains me when you insist on the piano as I struggle a lot, because I don’t have the same quality.”

Bosso has conducted several orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, and won several awards for his compositions, which have also featured in films and theatre productions.