A fourth Italian music director walks out

A fourth Italian music director walks out

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norman lebrecht

September 27, 2014

We warned last week that there would be more after Gianandrea Noseda quit in Turin, Riccardo Muti left Rome Opera and Nicola Luisotti called time on San Carlo in Naples.

Next to go is Daniele Rustioni, 30, one of the bright young talents on the Italian scene. He has resigned as music director of the Teatro Petruzelli in Bari, Italy’s fourth largest opera house. He’s furious that to productions have been chopped from his season. He will leave in January.

daniele rustioni

 

Comments

  • Nick says:

    I just looked up Daniele Rustioni’s wikipedia entry. Hard to believe the wording –

    “In March 2011, he conducted Giuseppe Verdi’s work called Aida at the Royal Opera House which was followed by Un ballo in maschera which was also based on Verdi’s work . . . and have recorded a CD of his work where he performs with bassist Erwin Schrott and Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra”

    CLearly time for him to get a publicist.

    • I’ll note that if you click on the “Talk” tab at the top of a Wikipedia article you can write up your concerns about grammar, spelling, facts…. anything you feel is of questionable merit.

      I’m going to guess that brief article was created by a non-English speaker.

      • Nick says:

        It’s certainly not taken from his official bio! But thank you for the information. I have never even thought about changing any wikipedia article before! In this case I hardly think it’s my job. That’s surely for the conductor himself, his management or PR people.

        • Michael says:

          You have it exactly wrong. Wikipedia articles are to be neutral. If an editor of an article on a living person has a close connection with that article’s subject, that is a severe conflict of interest.

  • Herrera says:

    But they all quit for very different reasons: Noseda for artistic problems (differences with general manager); Muti for union problems (strikes); Luisotti for personal problems (over commitment); Rustioni for budgetary problems (cuts in programming).

    Of the four, I’d have to say Rustioni’s “resignation” (he didn’t resign, he just said he will not renew when his contract is up) is the least understandable, because he is resigning over budgetary problems. But it’s Italy, one of the least performing economies in Europe. What does he want, with high unemployent and high taxes, that the government keep funding opera houses as though it wasthe era of easy borrowed money before the global recession (yes, now it’s the time to pay the piper after the debt fueled binge)? Is one more production of Aida really want under employed Italians need right now?

  • Anonymus says:

    Has Noseda resigned in Turin or has he actually only threatened to resign? It would be a distinction worth making, even if it screws up a nice headline in a blog.

  • sdReader says:

    Rustioni is not important. He is at the start of his career and really has no business throwing tantrums or drawing attention because a couple of “his” productions have been cancelled. He should be grateful to hold any music directorship at all.

    The Bari theater is big, but the opera company ranks far below fourth in Italy in real terms.

  • Edgar Brenninkmeyer says:

    I heard a marvelous Trovatore at La Fenice yesterday. The young maestro surely made for gripping fire in the pit and onstage – musically. There was some real fire, too, during Azucena’s horrid tale. It was at all times under the watchful eyes of members of the Venice Fire Department backstage and in the auditorium. Given the musical quality of this performance, I am sure Mr. Rustioni will move on quite well, inside and outside of Italy. La Fenice will be glad to have him conduct in the future.

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