Not everyone is a Franz Welser-Möst fan.
The conductor reveals that one Vienna operagoer, who idolises Christian Thielemann, boos Welser-Möst every time he conducts Wagner. "I find that vaguely touching," he says. "I always crack a smile in his direction".
Even so, he doesn't want the boos to stop. "Opera is like a sport," he says. "[Booing] is part of its lifeblood".
"Leadership is not a popularity contest," says Franz Welser-Möst.
He describes himself as "the last living dictator in the music business" because as head of the Cleveland Orchestra he has the unusual right to select every member. The orchestra may bend his ear, but unlike most ensembles, they don't have a formal say.
Despite this seemingly untrammelled power and glory, Welser-Möst admits that not everyone is impressed: "Often enough in my career I've been stopped at the entrance to the concert hall and asked for my ticket."
Vienna's last two iterations of Parsifal were deprived of Jonas Kaufmann due to unspecified "illness".
Now it transpires that Franz Welser-Möst only managed to conduct one act last night. After being gripped by lumbago (surprised Slipped Disc hasn't picked up on this little gift), he had to leave his assistant James Pearson (below) to finish the job.
Austrian newspapers have been swift to point out that Franz has conducted four operas in five days - a feat he has previously described as "unacceptable".
Franz Welser-Möst has pulled out of all future opera engagements at the Salzburg Festival, citing unreasonable scheduling.
He complains that the 2013 plan is not feasible for the singers. The first three of five Così fan tutte performances are spread over five days, leaving just a day's rest between each. He had earlier in the week told an interviewer it's unacceptable to begin one of these at 11 am - "because then the singers would have to get up at three o'clock to prepare."(Probably a good job that it starts at 1pm, not 11am, then. Although most singers can and do manage morning engagements from time to time, but let's not digress).
Welser-Möst's outrage has compelled him to cancel not just the three offending performances, but the whole Mozart-Da Ponte cycle he was supposed to be conducting over over three years from 2013 to 2015.
Oddly, he doesn't mention why he didn't spot the flawed timetabling earlier; it's been public for several weeks, in the unlikely event he wasn't told way beforehand anyway. And while his own Vienna State Opera, like most houses, generally leaves two clear days between shows, they also sometimes schedule performances just a day apart - the very issue he's complaining about.
Coincidentally, Welser-Möst has just started rehearsals in Vienna for Ariadne auf Naxos, the dreadful Salzburg Festival production by Sven-Eric Bechtolf, who's also in charge of the Mozart cycle.
Festival management are apparently out of the country at the moment. So sadly we'll have to wait for Alexander Pereira's no doubt feisty response.
Five years almost to the day since his last Wagner-related injury, Antonio Pappano has once more been struck down by the Curse of The Ring.
The Royal Opera House report the maestro is suffering from "acute tendonitis in his right elbow" - aka tennis elbow - following a string of heavy-duty engagements including Otello, Les Troyens, several concerts with his Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and of course The Ring. This means he has to pull out of the ROH revival of The Minotaur in the new year, to be replaced by Ryan Wigglesworth.
Coincidentally, Franz Welser-Möst recently suffered a similar affliction. He's now back on his podium. Perhaps they could get together and share tips?
Then again, perhaps not.
Straight-talking Franz Welser-Möst has been talking straight again.
Asked by Wien.ORF.at who he'd like to see conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker's New Year concert, frank Franz tells them instead who shouldn't.
Simon Rattle is "fantastische" but, one infers, not quite Austrian enough. As Franz puts it, Sir Simon - whose numerous crimes against fashion have yet to incorporate lederhosen - doesn't know how to connect with this sort of music, and said as much to Welser-Möst.
Franz concludes "Not everyone can do everything, that's how it is."
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