Munich loses a Tristan conductor
OperaThe Slovak conductor Juraj Valčuha, incoming chief of the Houston Symphony, has dropped out without known reason from three performances of Tristan und Isolde in Munich later this month.
He will be replaced by the German veteran Lothar Koenigs.
Koenigs is an excellent conductor.
It’s funny how you can always trust a good and reliable “German veteran” to get you out of just about any sudden or last-minute jam! Thank God for those lifesavers!
When the sh*t hits the fan,
they call the veterans (the pros)
Too bad there’s not a reliable German veteran to fill all of J Kaufman’s cancellations.
Koenigns has a proven experience as a fine Wagner conductor. He has successfully conducted Tristan und Isolde on multiple occasions in different opera houses in both Europe and in the United States. I’m sure he’ll do an excellent job.
Nonetheless it’s a pity, Valcuha is an absolutely marvellous conductor IMO
Tristan and Munich just don’t mix. Both Felix Mottl and Joseph Keilberth died while conducting Tristan there. And Guiseppe Patane also died while conducting in Munich, except he was leading Barber of Seville.
Not incoming– Juraj Valčuha’s first concert as Music Director of the Houston Symphony was September 13, 2022. He is a prodigiously talented conductor. If he had to cancel there must have been an excellent reason.