Christian Thielemann - I was pushed

 

Christian Thielemann has confirmed in an interview with FAZ that the decision not to renew his contract as Munich Philharmonic chief conductor from 2011 was down to the Munich city council, not him.

Officially, the sticking point is a new contract clause which gave the orchestra's general director the right to select guest conductors and their programmes - reducing Thielemann, as he put it, to the status of a guest conductor in his own orchestra.

But there are also rumblings that cost cutting might have contributed to the city council's decision. Even though Thielemann's presence has boosted ticket sales, the orchestra is mostly state-funded.  

Another possible factor in the mix is evidenced by the trail of epithets which attach to Thielemann - ''uncompromising' is one of the politest.

He also explains in the interview that his Bayreuth 'musical adviser' post - mentioned in last year's Eva/Katharina Wagner joint succession announcement - hasn't been firmed up further. Apparently the sisters have been busy with other matters. But he recalls the words of James Levine - whoever conducts the Ring at Bayreuth (as Thielemann does this year) is the de facto music director, if only because he's busier than everyone else.

Meanwhile, Dresden Semperoper, looking for a new music director to replace Fabio Luisi from 2012, have lost no time in tapping up Thielemann - 'first contact' has already been made.

Comments

[Barry M. Schwartz]

Pfennig-wise and pound foolish. Munich has blown its chance to become a truly world-class orchestra, but I guess "provincial" is good enough for the City Council.

[thielemannfriend]

If a Music Director cannot lead "his" orchestra towards his artistical goals according to his own vision,but leave it to the "democracy" invested by politicians without the slightest artistical authority,
then there is no point in "being"General music Director.Thank heavens for artists with the integrity of Thielemann.Call it "dictatorship" if you want.I disagree.