Kent Nagano, music director of the Bavarian State Opera since 2006, will not have his contract renewed in 2013 according to German newspaper reports.
The American conductor took a while to win round Munich audiences, and his press is mixed. But the real reason behind his departure is said to be a clash of personality and principles with Nikolaus Bachler, Intendant since 2008. Nagano, like his conducting, is cerebral and self-contained. For a big-house music director, he's unusually open to experimentation too - take the surprise hit of the 2007 Munich Opera Festival, Unsuk Chin's Alice in Wonderland. Bachler on the other hand goes for big, safe and splashy - and the success of his methods can be measured by an increase in average attendance, despite the economic downturn.
The newspapers' favourite to replace Nagano is Kirill Petrenko, who conducted a well-received Jenufa in Munich recently, and is claimed to be Bachler's own choice.
But Petrenko's career, despite his undoubted musical talents, has been troubled of late. He was forced to cut engagements in 2007 due to exhaustion, which may be an ongoing problem. He's fallen out with directors Christof Loy (a Munich mainstay) and Claus Guth. On a more practical note, he's scheduled to conduct the Bayreuth Ring in 2013 and the following 4 to 6 years. This will take him out of play each July. Can Munich really afford to appoint a music director who won't be around during the key event in its calendar, its own opera festival?
Daniele Gatti's name has also been mentioned (as it is - yawn - when any vacancy comes up), and so has Bertrand de Billy's, but neither fared well in their recent Munich engagements. So it looks like Petrenko is the front runner for now.
Bavarian Culture Minister Wolfgang Heubisch is responsible for the final decision. The big tease is torturing everyone by delaying any announcement until autumn.
The Munich audience have their own views - there was a noisy show of support for Nagano at last night's Don Giovanni.
