In an open letter, the immensely popular conductor of the Bavarian State Opera has confirmed that he will not be seeking a renewal of his contract as music director.
His letter fans the flames of controversy over the City of Munich’s inability to retain VIP arts leaders. Our friends over at Intermezzo write, “the conductor doesn’t actually say that politicians should keep their noses out of the arts, but then he doesn’t need to – events speak for themselves. At the very least it’s another massive PR disaster for the government of a city that benefits heavily from cultural tourism in terms of both income and prestige.”
