Welser-Möst leaves Vienna State Opera

[aeolium]

Apparently Franz Welser-Möst has resigned as music director of the Vienna State Opera:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/news/vienna-state-opera-rocked-as-maestro-picks-up-his-baton-and-walks-over-artistic-differences-9716605.html

Perhaps someone here could shed light on the nature of the "artistic differences" which prompted this resignation. FWM is incidentally in London atm to conduct two Proms with the Cleveland Orchestra today and tomorrow.

[Petrushka]

Apologies for linking to Lebrecht's site but there is further information here:

http://slippedisc.com/2014/09/exclusive-why-franz-walked-out-on-vienna/

[Beef Oven!]

Seen FWM a few times. Last time was several years ago when he did LvB's Missa Solemnis at a prom. The performance didn't do a lot for me.

[DracoM]

Did he not have a fairly rocky time in London as well i/c an orchestra?

[aeolium]

Did he not have a fairly rocky time in London as well i/c an orchestra?

Yes, the LPO, though on the other hand he has been music director of the Cleveland Orchestra for 12 years and his tenure there is not due to end until 2018. Perhaps the faults in the LPO relationship were not all on his side.

[french frank]

Just out of interest, I looked also at Dominique Meyer, to see what kind of manager he is:

http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node/home/opernhaus/direktion/Biographie-Dominique-Meyer.en.php

http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/coffee-dominique-meyer/

[aeolium]

Just out of interest, I looked also at Dominique Meyer, to see what kind of manager he is:

http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node/home/opernhaus/direktion/Biographie-Dominique-Meyer.en.php

http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/coffee-dominique-meyer/

The second of those links contains the quotation about Meyer wanting to promote live streaming of operas and allow people to "watch opera in their pyjamas". This was also quoted in the Independent article but in a way which made it ambiguous whether Welser-Möst or Meyer had said it (I originally read it as having been W-M's view).

[french frank]

The second of those links contains the quotation about Meyer wanting to promote live streaming of operas and allow people to "watch opera in their pyjamas". This was also quoted in the Independent article but in a way which made it ambiguous whether Welser-Möst or Meyer had said it (I originally read it as having been W-M's view).

NB to self: Artistic director not manager - yes, it seems it was Meyer.

[DracoM]

Yes, the LPO, though on the other hand he has been music director of the Cleveland Orchestra for 12 years and his tenure there is not due to end until 2018. Perhaps the faults in the LPO relationship were not all on his side.

But it wasn't just with the orchestra that there were issues, was it? IIRC, the critics gave him a bit of a seeing to as well. Maybe those critics were getting the inside track from some in the orchestra?

[aeolium]

But it wasn't just with the orchestra that there were issues, was it? IIRC, the critics gave him a bit of a seeing to as well. Maybe those critics were getting the inside track from some in the orchestra?

But that is hardly surprising if he didn't get on with the orchestra for whatever reason. The point about the Cleveland position is that his contract has twice been extended, which you wouldn't have expected if either the orchestra was not happy with him or the critics didn't think much of his work. So why was he able to work successfully with the Cleveland orchestra and not the LPO? That suggests to me that it was not just him (perhaps a similar situation to that of Slatkin and the BBCSO which also IIRC was not a very happy relationship).

[Petrushka]

But it wasn't just with the orchestra that there were issues, was it? IIRC, the critics gave him a bit of a seeing to as well. Maybe those critics were getting the inside track from some in the orchestra?

It was from the LPO that the 'Frankly Worse than Most' jibe came and the critics took it up with glee. The main problem was that FW-M took over from Tennstedt and that, being a hard act to follow, made his task well-nigh an impossible one.

The fact that he's been in Cleveland for 12 years would seem to suggest that he's 'better than most'. However, his two Vienna New Year's Day Concerts haven't been particularly successful largely owing to his lack of charisma.

With major conductor vacancies currently on the go it'll be interesting to see how this affects the game of musical chairs under way as the perspective shifts again.

[DracoM]

Another interesting 'departure'??

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/07/la-scala-roberto-alagna-werther-loggionisti-alexander-pereira

[richardfinegold]

It was from the LPO that the 'Frankly Worse than Most' jibe came and the critics took it up with glee. The main problem was that FW-M took over from Tennstedt and that, being a hard act to follow, made his task well-nigh an impossible one.

The fact that he's been in Cleveland for 12 years would seem to suggest that he's 'better than most'. However, his two Vienna New Year's Day Concerts haven't been particularly successful largely owing to his lack of charisma.

With major conductor vacancies currently on the go it'll be interesting to see how this affects the game of musical chairs under way as the perspective shifts again.

He had some controversy in Cleveland when apparently had the Chief Cleveland Music Critic fired over an unfavorable review.

[pastoralguy]

A pity Katie D. didn't ask him about the Vienna situation during her live interview with the maestro during the interval...

[Petrushka]

A pity Katie D. didn't ask him about the Vienna situation during her live interview with the maestro during the interval...

Probably off limits at a guess.