Nagano news

Conductor Nagano Gets German Opera Post Feb 3, 2:47 PM (ET) By The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) - Kent Nagano, the principal conductor at the German Symphony Orchestra in Berlin as well as the Los Angeles Opera, will take over as musical director of Munich's Bavarian State Opera in 2006, officials said Monday.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Nagano would continue in Berlin after his contract expires at the end of the 2005-06 season.

Nagano, a Grammy award winner, will be joined by Christoph Albrecht of Dresden's Semper Opera, who will become the opera house's director, Bavarian Culture Minister Hans Zehetmair said. Both men will have five-year contracts.

Nagano will replace Israeli Zubin Mehta, while Albrecht will replace Peter Jonas as director.

'Kent Nagano will bring new perspectives to the works of Mozart, Wagner and Strauss and the other pillars of the standard repertoire and expand the breadth of the program, above all toward the modern,' Zehetmair said.

Nagano, a California native, achieved wide acclaim as music director of the Lyon Opera in France from 1989-98.

That's a bit of a surprise, considering the buildup that had been coming from the Great White North for the past couple of weeks. I can just imagine the Montreal Symphony singing 'Jilted!' (from 'Of Thee I Sing'.

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You're not dreaming. There were many reports (from the Montreal press and elsewhere) that he was being wined and dined to take over Dutoit's old job. But when the dust settled, apparently it was the Bavarian State Opera that made the better offer. I hate to imagine the mood in Montreal right now.

That would certainly be doing a favor to everyone outside of Montreal.