On May 25, 2023, Gustavo Dudamel left his position as musical director of the Paris Opera, just two years after the start of a mandate which ran until 2027. A hard blow for the Parisian opera institution, which had of its internationally renowned leader the figurehead of a cultural policy open to the world.
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Multiple questions remain in the face of a decision whose suddenness was surprising. This is why the Venezuelan maestro, aged 43, who will be at the Philharmonie de Paris on May 30 and 31, with his Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, wanted to put things straight by returning to the circumstances that led us to take this difficult decision.
A cryptic formula accompanied the press release announcing your resignation. “Personal reasons” were mentioned. What did you mean?
I had reached a point where I didn’t have the material time to digest everything that was happening professionally and in my personal life. I was not happy, and I believe, deep down, that this is the essential reason which explains the decision I made. The pandemic changed things for me too, fueling the desire to do fewer things, but more intensely. At the very end of endings, what are you left with? Family.
Why speak now?
I thought I was being transparent in citing my desire to be more present with my family. But my decision has sparked a lot of speculation, with some citing mysterious, hidden reasons. Sometimes in life we have to make decisions alone that have repercussions on a large number of people. I understand that this is difficult to accept, but I don’t want anyone to think that it was just a whim and that I took this decision out of joy.
What role does the cancellation of the orchestra tour scheduled for the end of April 2023 – after a disagreement between management and the musicians on the question of remuneration for travel time – play in your decision?
If I told you it had no impact, I would be lying. Yes, that may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. I had great ambitions for the Opera Orchestra. My friends at the Barbican Center in London and Carnegie Hall in New York, who were generous enough to offer us a prestigious debut, were disappointed. We also received an invitation from the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a ten-day residency to celebrate our relationship between Olympic cities.
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