Philippe Jordan will not renew his contract with the Wiener Staatsoper.

The conductor, who was appointed the Music Director in 2020, told the Kurier that he believed that opera and the company were headed in the wrong direction.

“In the past two years, I’ve come to the conclusion that that was probably not realistic and isn’t really desirable. As far as opera is concerned, I don’t want to continue doing it after 2025,” the conductor added.

Reportedly, the conductor has no interest in taking the helm of any other opera house.

According to General Director Bogdan Rošcic, Jordan’s decision has nothing to do with the productions or the direction of the theater.

“Philippe Jordan and I talked extensively about my plans for running the house after 2025 in the summer,” Rošcic said. “Concerns about content were not an issue, he wanted his contract extended, which I was not able to do for other reasons. Therefore, I do not want to comment further on his statements, it would not be in the interest of the State Opera and also not in the interest of Philippe Jordan.”