The Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel has resigned from the musical direction of the Paris Opera “for personal reasons,” the company announced Thursday in a statement, advances The New York Times.
Dudamel, 42, had been in office since August 2021 with four years of service remaining. In February, the maestro already announced other changes: he will leave the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which he has directed since 2009, for the New York competitor, in the 2025-2026 season.
Upon leaving the Paris Opera, Gustavo Dudamel stated: “It is with great regret and after much deliberation that I announce my resignation.” “I have no plans other than to be with my loved ones, whom I am deeply grateful for helping me continue to be strong in my quest to grow and stay challenged, both personally and artistically, every day,” he added.
The American newspaper recalls that the tenure of the popular director is “one of the shortest in the recent history of the Paris Opera” and that abrupt departures are rare in the world of classical music, where directors usually serve the duration of their contracts. and where the seasons are planned years in advance.
Heading the Paris Opera since August 2021, Dudamel has directed operas such as turandot, by Puccini, The Marriage of Figaro from Mozart, Tristan and Isolde, of Wagner and nixons in china by John Adams. It is not yet clear what will happen to two commitments that the maestro has already made for the 2023-2024 season: a new production of the opera lohengrinby Wagner, and the Paris premiere of the opera the exterminating angelby Thomas Ades. According to the New York Times, the Paris Opera and the director are still discussing what to do with these projects, as well as several concerts with the orchestra.
“What makes this news particularly shocking is how well Dudamel was received in Paris. It is popular with the public, the press and, crucially in France, where government support for the arts is exceptional, with politicians. In September, following the acclaimed performance of rough, President Emmanuel Macron, a regular at the opera, awarded Dudamel the Order of Arts and Letters,” writes Mark Swed, classical music critic for the Los Angeles Times.
Dudamel enjoys rare popularity outside of the classical music circuit, having appeared in a 2016 Super Bowl show alongside Coldplay and playing the character Trollzart, also a bandleader, in the animated film “Trolls”. WorldTour”. He even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Source: Observadora
