Around the Music Festival

The Vienna State Opera has announced a change of conductor for the new production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. Franz Welser-Möst was scheduled to conduct, but due to bad health he has been forced to withdraw, and Bertrand de Billy will take his place.

The new production of The Magic Flute, directed by Barbora Horakova, will have its first performance on January 27th. Georg Zeppenfeld, Julian Pregardien, Serena Saenz, Slavka Zamečniková, and Ludwig Mittelhammer will be performing.

Welser-Möst is 64 years old and was born in Linz, Austria. In September 2023, he announced that he would need to undergo 12 to 16 months of cancer treatment and took a break from his activities, but he returned to the scene in January 2024.

From August to September, after completing a European tour with the Cleveland Orchestra, for which he serves as music director, he took a break from his activities from the start of the new season until the end of the year to undergo immunotherapy. After that, he experienced unexpected side effects.

PHOTO：Cleveland Orchestra　/　Roger Mastroianni


　　Click here for details　▷