Christian Thielemann No Longer Music Director of Bayreuth Festival

By Francisco Salazar

Christian Thielemann is no longer the music director of the Bayreuth Festival.

According to the festival, the conductor’s contract expired on Jan. 1, 2021 and discussions are in the process as to whether the festival will continue to have the acclaimed conductor as its music director.

In a press statement, the festival said, “He has not been a music director since January 1, 2021, that’s correct. The talks about the continuation of his activity and his name in Bayreuth have not yet been concluded. Whether the position of music director will continue to exist in Bayreuth in the future has also not yet been finally decided, so we have currently removed the title from the website.”

The news comes weeks after it was announced that Thielemann’s contract at the Semperoper Dresden would not be renewed. According to reports, the decision came due to the constant clashes between Semperoper Dresden’s intendant Peter Theiler and Thielemann and Thielemann’s conservative repertoire decisions. Thielemann also recently left his post at the Salzburg Easter Festival.

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