Franz Welser Most seemed calm as he explained his surprise resignation to an Austrian TV interviewer, citing what he saw major as artistic differences with the management of the Vienna State Opera.
WELSER-MOST describes his reasoning in German.
Robert Conrad --- longtime classical music broadcaster at ideastream sister station WCLV --- provides a translation.
CONRAD: The implication to him was that he was going to continue to have problems getting his vision of the productions produced.
It helps to understand that Vienna is widely considered to be a world center for opera and his announcement has caused quite a stir in opera circles. The Welser-Most productions have proved popular with both the critics and the ticket-buying public --- last season the Vienna Opera sold nearly 100% of its seats --- an all-time record. But, despite the surprising departure Conrad sees no linkage to the conductor's work on this side of the Atlantic
CONRAD: The biggest implication is that it has nothing to do with Franz Welser-Most and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Welser-Most's management --- IMG --- essentially said that in a news release. All of this comes just as the Orchestra is starting it's fall tour of Europe
