Breaking: Runnicles gives up Berlin for Dresden
NewsThe Scottish conductor Sir Donald Runnicles let it be known three months ago that he planned to leave Deutsche Oper in 2026 ‘for family reasons.’
Now we know where he’s going.
Runnicles, 69, was announced this morning as chief conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic, starting 2025.
Interesting. Presumably, if the family reasons are at least in part genuine, it will be a reduction in time commitment – no more monthlong+ rehearsals and opera productions. He will also be 72 and will have been in Berlin for 17 years.
Time for a change at the the DOB, but to whom?
Well, their longstanding first guest – Ivan Repusic – got a house of his own (Leipzig – https://slippedisc.com/2023/11/maestro-move-leipzig-opera-picks-munich-man/), so I guess he’s unlikely to move again so soon.
The thing with the Deutsche Oper is that it is a major opera house in a major music city, but unlike the Staatsoper it relies largely on its ensemble and B-category soloists. You get the occasional star, but mostly very capable ensemble soloists. So it’s certainly not a prime posting in the league of the Staatsoper, Munich, Paris, or even Dresden.
So someone of that stature – international career, but not in the A-league of MDs, is to be expected in my view.
Four names who conduct there this year: Enrique Mazzola (Anna Bolena, new production; Carlo Montanaro (Aida, Carmen); Juraj Valcuha (Tristan), Ben Glassberg (Carmen). Stephan Zilias, MD in Hanover also visits (Fidelio), as does Daniel Cohen from Darmstadt (Don Giovanni). Nicholas Carter, from Bern, gets one Ring cycle; Runnicles does the other two. And one that just popped in my head in terms of profile, though I don’t know he has links to the DOB: Ludovic Morlot. Also Marc Albrecht, regular guest at the DOB.
You know there is a difference between conducting 8 – 10 weeks per year with a symphony orchestra and being Generalmusikdirektor of one of the world’s biggest repertoire opera houses, right? Perhaps the former is more compatible with his family reasons.
17 years is a long time. Especially in an opera house. He needs a change, the Deutsche Oper needs a change. Perfectly normal.
Apart from Barenboim, what music director has stayed more than 10 years, or even 15, at one opera house in the last 50 years?
Levine…we know how that ended up.
And Pappano at ROH – though he took a sabbatical year at some point (22 years). Before that 11 years in Brussels.
Muti at La Scala (19 years). Sinopoli (died in his 10th year) and Thielemann (12 years by 2024) in Dresden. Philippe Jordan (12 years) in Paris. Sebastian Weigle in Frankfurt (15 years). Going back further, Sawallisch in Munich (21 years).
Barenboim even double dipped as director of the Berlin Staatsoper and La Scala for a few years.
So there’s a few, though 17 is longer than most.
Levine, yes, as well as Patrick Summers in Houston, and now James Conlon in LA.
James Levine at the Met, James Conlon at LA Opera, Bruno Bartoletti at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Antonio Pappano at Covent Garden…and Donald Runnicles at SF Opera (I’m sure there are other examples, but those are the first and most prominent ones that come to mind).
In the last 50 years, I dunno, a couple spring to mind:
James Levine, Met, 40 years, 1976–2016
Riccardo Muti, La Scala, 19 years, 1986–2005
Pappano at Royal Opera, Andrew Davis at Chicago Lyric to name two.
Not forgetting Covent Garden:
Antonio Pappano, 22 years, 2002–2024
Bernard Haitink, 15 years, 1987–2002
James Levine and Antonio Pappano are the obvious answers. Also, James Conlon in Los Angeles and Philippe Jordan in Paris.
Wonderful to see and hear him conduct Tannhauser at the Met a couple days ago. Brilliant conductor who does the work and gets major results from the orchestra without making a damn spectacle of himself.
I was there, too. He’s a magician, as well as an Energizer bunny. Incredible physical stamina, fantastic ear for balance, can accompany anyone on anything. Simply stupendous.
Wonderful musician
Dresden going with a youngster to succeed Janowski.
Or perhaps Dresden’s just attracted by the novelty of having a left-handed conductor for a change, however old he may be?
He is never at Deutsche Oper anyway – regularly cancels his performances – he pulled out of Trittico in September during final rehearsals, has cancelled his Toscas there next month – in fact, he is only now due to conduct his FIRST performance of the current season (which started in August) on February 25th, 2024… pretty sweet gig where he’s drawing a monthly salary but never in the house…he should do the honorable thing and resign at the end of the current season as he is currently contributing zero to this house.
Thanks for the info DOB. If I had to work on that Trittico I would have called in sick too.
Everyone seems to forget other British conductors. Sir Alexander Gibson 25 years at Scottish Opera and 25 years at the Royal Scottish National. Sir Mark Elder closing in on 25 years with the Halle.