VIENNA (AP) β Franz Welser-Moest is quitting as music director of the Vienna State Opera, citing differences with opera director Dominique Meyer.
Welser-Moest says his resignation is immediate and he will not conduct or participate in any of this year’s 34 productions, leaving one of the world’s premier opera houses scrambling for a replacement. His contract was to run until 2018.
In a letter made public Friday, Welser-Moest says that “differences over artistic issues were not solvable in several meetings.”
There was no immediate reaction from the State Opera. Meyer, in a statement, called Welser-Moest’s resignation “a great loss.”
Welser-Moest is also the music director for the Cleveland Orchestra.
