Breaking: Franz Welser-Möst calls time on his Cleveland career
NewsThe Austrian conductor announced today that he will step down as music director in Cleveland in June 2027 when his contract ends. He will have been in charge for 25 years, longer than any music director.
Welser-Möst, 63, has recently undergone cancer treatment and may be reconsidering his future.
He said today: ‘“I am immensely grateful for the extraordinary journey that I have had with The Cleveland Orchestra since I first came to Severance more than 30 years ago. It is both a special and an emotional moment as I reflect on what we have accomplished together. But perhaps what matters most to me is the shared passion, the inspiring creativity, and the lasting friendships that I have had the privilege of building with our musicians, audiences, and fans around the world. The city of Cleveland, its people, and especially this wonderful orchestra will forever hold a special place in my heart.’
André Gremillet, the Orchestra’s President & CEO said: While we reflect upon and begin to celebrate the incredible artistry and legacy of Franz Welser-Möst, a great musician, a dear friend, and the chief architect of the Cleveland Sound in the 21st century, we recognize that we will deeply miss his passion, intellect, curiosity, and profound musicianship. We are however comforted to have three and a half more years of exceptional music-making ahead of us with Franz as Music Director, and many more opportunities beyond that. His leadership has transformed this organization, instilling a flexibility and lyricism to the Cleveland Sound that is instantly recognizable.’
It will be exciting to hear a concert not stripped of all emotional expression, or even more exciting, a moderate/ slow tempo.
He reminds me of Coffee-Mate.
Thank you for a really distinguished contribution to Cleveland and the world..He is one of the not to many who dust off sloppy traditions by giving us what is really in the score.One of the very few conductors i still listen performing Mahler. Refreshingly free of bombast and whiny,self indulgent chest beating, transparent and cristal clear,allowing emotions coming from the music,not himself. Same goes for his Tchaikovsky and Strauss( really the tempi we have from Strauss´own recordings).Brilliant 20th and 21th rep conductor…And a fantastic opera conductor.
While I’ve never been a huge fan, he certainly deserves recognition for such a long and successful tenure.
Now both Chicago and Cleveland are looking for a music director and I suspect they both have the same first choice – Makela. He gave up one post for Amsterdam and may give up the other for one of these two orchestras. I’m not giving my own preference – just prognosticating.
I’m am pretty certain that the CSO is not seeking a 29 YO conductor currently under contract to two orchestras and scheduled to take over another in three years – and who has, if I’m not mistaken, only conducted them once.
I’m friendly with a CSO member and he was EXTREMELY impressed by the 29 year old. … It was also just a few months ago that people on here were ripping me for saying W-M would be leaving Cleveland at the end of his current contract.
And by the way, if you missed the point, he gave up one of the two existing jobs for Amsterdam. He would give up the other one (as soon as the contract ends) for Chicago or Cleveland. They’d obviously have to wait until them for him to begin his duties.
You might be wrong, you will see soon…
And who sucks
Makela is maybe good as guest but doesn’t have much to give on the long run…
Very sorry to see Franz leave TCO, because I’ve enjoyed many many wonderful performances by him. Especially his Mozart opera productions.
Thanks for all the great music Maestro!
I know he was detested in London at the beginning of his career, but even from afar it is clear he has maintained the CO as one of the great Orchestras of the World Interesting programming as well. Traveled to Cleveland for an excellent Bruckner 5, very fine Mahler 3, and heard that great Orchestra at the Musikverein in Brahms 2 and 3. He is of the old world in many ways. May he stay healthy for many years to come
Nobody will agree with me but I think that Rouvali would be a perfect choice next. I don’t know if he went to Cleveland already for few concerts. Anyway they have to try to play with him.
He’s overseen more sham auditions than probably anyone in history. Good riddance!
Please tell us more.
I’ve been to Severance Hall for some great concerts with FWM. Schmidt’s Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln was fantastic. With only a few seasons left to go, I sure hope he’ll program some more Schmidt, Korngold and other late-romantic Austrian repertoire that he clearly has an affinity with.
In New York, we get to hear him with some frequency, between guest appearances by the Cleveland Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic. He will be appearing here with both orchestras between next week and early March. In my experience he has deepened substantially as an interpreter over 25 years, and he will be missed. The people of Cleveland, a city otherwise in very bad shape, are to be complimented for supporting a music director completely lacking in ego and marketing hype over the period of a quarter century.
“completely lacking in ego and marketing hype over the period of a quarter century”
FWM: urrrr… thank you?
25 years is a very long and successful tenure. No matter his health, it’s probably long enough. And presumably if he remains healthy he’ll be a welcome guest after 2027.
I expect Brexit was the last straw.
How does Brexit affect an Austrian’s work in the US?
So now Mäkelä time?
Sad to hear this news. I have FWM’s Bruckner Symphonies with the Cleveland on DVDs and always enjoy his interpretations and his insights into music. I guess these young conductors who seem to be all flash and no substance will flock to replace him.
You can see in those DVD recordings how much Bruckner means to him.
The New York Times classical music department has always had a not-so-secret crush on FWM and his CO, with James Oestereich calling them “America’s best”, or David Allen calling them “America’s finest”, but nothing beats, or prepared me for Joshua Barone’s describing FWM as possessing “a Mona Lisa smile”.
That’s amore.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/arts/music/franz-welser-most-cleveland-orchestra.html
Anyway, another interesting line from the article: “Daniel Froschauer, the Philharmonic’s chairman … said that, while the orchestra doesn’t have a chief conductor, it secretly has two: Riccardo Muti and Welser-Möst.”
Hmmm, much food for thought:
555 kms separate the music directors of Cleveland and Chicago, but light years separate the personality of FWM and Muti, yet their conductor style is not all that dissimilar…. certainly their Verdi are night and day…
Too bad they never saw fit to invite each other to conduct their orchestra, in fact, have they EVER conducted the other’s orchestra?
It’s never too late!
Chicago would love to experience what Barone felt, when the moon that hits your eye like a big pizza pie, and Cleveland could experience when you walk in a dream but you know you’re not dreaming signore, scusami, but you see, back in old Napoli…
A song I consider definitely superior to “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog.”
I saw FWM conduct the CSO shortly after his CO appointment was announced. A CSO musician told me he had a few reservations, but thought he had potential. The main work was Dvorak 7. It was fine, but not in the same league as a CO recent performance with Edward Garner. The 7th is also a CSO signature piece, but FWM had his own ideas. They weren’t weird, but not totally convincing.
I don’t believe Muti ever conducted the CO. Solti didn’t until the year of his death.
The NYT story is good PR, but also a reminder that FWM was not a good selection. It mentions a six year transition period. Both Maazel and Dohnanyi had a few rough moments at first, but also demonstrated brilliance and depth. FWM clicked when he started performing opera in Cleveland. He can be a formidable opera conductor. Usually, I don’t find him particularly convincing as a symphonic conductor.
Looking forward, it’s not productive to make predictions about a replacement. The last three times, Cleveland had its own ideas and picked choices that were unexpected. But where’s the fun in staying on the sidelines? So my guesses (as opposed to choices) are: Harding, Pappano, Shani (big Jewish donors in Cleveland) and Vasily Petrenko.
The announcement was not unexpected. Note that Sarasatre was announced as a replacement conductor for Bloomstedt next month. Can’t read too much into these things, but experienced conductors appear to be interested this time around.
I was there since the first FWM’s appearance as the CO music director and I completely agree with your assessment.
Somehow each time I saw Vasily Petrenko conducting in Cleveland I thought it would be great to have him as a next music director..
Vasily Petrenko would be an excellent choice, if he’s interested and available.
Harding conducted Mahler 4 here last month, and I saw the video. He looked like he didn’t know what he was doing. The highlight of the performance was Liv Redpath, a last-minute substitute for the soprano who sang the two earlier performances in the series–just fantastic!
I heard the Harding broadcast twice now. I thought it was very good and easily surpassed performances by FWM (did not like at all) and Hrusa (inconsistent). The performances are worked out in rehersal away from the public. Of course, give it to the ghost of George Szell. His recording is still one of the best.
But it would be a welcome change if the next MD had more charisma that found its way into performances, and a bit of magic. Accordingly, I’d like to see more of Vasily Petrenko.
Harding seems to lack a bit of spark in comparison, but more than what FWM has provided overall. He also regularly conducts in Berlin and Vienna with the Philharmonic. That counts in Cleveland and Chicago, which will probably go for Hrusa. Chicago has a far less demanding time commitment for its MD than Cleveland. So he can probably fit the CSO in with his other positions more easily than CO.
Franz Welzer Most’s successor will be a woman.
Canellakis is leading their winter Miami residency. It’s just a matter of when, not if, she gets a big job.
What is NOT being reported, even on here apparently, is that his contract was not renewed. It was not his “decision” to step down but I’m sure he begged for better PR upon exiting. Good riddance indeed. A mediocre conductor but an awful person.
It’s time for Fabio Luisi.
I think it’s time for both Cleveland and Chicago to hire American conductors. Make American orchestras great again!
For an orchestra such as the Cleveland to have kept FWM for a generation must say something. To replace him, how about one of the unsung, excellent German conductors, such as Frank Beermann?
I insist it’s about time American orchestras star hiring American born and bred American conductor. I recently attended a National Symphony Orchestra’s concert and Noseda really has no business conducting in the States! Philadelphia just hired Marin Alsop! I applaud that.
Make American orchestras great again!!!