His master’s stick: Bogdan inserts new music director at Vienna Opera

Today’s press release announcing Philippe Jordan’s appointment as music director of the Vienna State Opera from September 2020 makes it clear that the appointment is by order of Bogdan Roscic, the incoming general director.

Unusually, the statement was issued not by the Staatsoper itself but by ‘Leisure Communications’ acting on behalf of ‘the Büro des designierten Direktors.’ Bogdan is acting as if he’s already in charge.

His statement reads: ‘Philippe Jordan wurde als Musikdirektor der Wiener Staatsoper ab 1. September 2020 verpflichtet. Das gab der designierte Direktor Bogdan Roščić am Montag, 31. Juli 2017, bekannt. Neben der Leitung von Neuproduktionen und Repertoire-Vorstellungen wird Jordan als Mitglied der Direktion den gesamten musikalischen Bereich des Hauses leiten und strukturell mitgestalten.’

Philippe Jordan, 42, is presently music director of the Opéra national de Paris since 2009 and chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. A Swiss, from Zurich, he is the son of the Suisse Romande cnductor, Armin Jordan.

He is known to the members of the Vienna Philarmonic and will have obtained their approval before accepting the post. But despite Bogdan’s fine promises, he will be powerless in an institution where all authority rests in the general director’s office.

And Bogdan’s announcement is both presumptuous and extremely rude to the present administration. But that’s what the future looks like in Vienna.