Simon Rattle to leave the LSO for Munich

Simon Rattle, a renowned British conductor, will become the principal conductor of of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRSO) in Munich in 2023 according to newspapers on Monday.

Orchestras usually announce the appointment of a new chief conductor one or two years in advance of the beginning of the actual term. The post has been empty since the BRSO’s previous chief conductor Mariss Jansons died of a heart disease in 2019.

Rattle was previously chief conductor of the world’s most acclaimed Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 to 2018 before he took on the role of music director of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), one of the best orchestras in the United Kingdom. “Sir Simon Rattle has announced that he will extend his current agreement with the London Symphony Orchestra as Music Director until 2023,” said the LSO in its statement. “He will take up a lifetime role as Conductor Emeritus from 2023 onwards.”

The New York Times reported the same day that “Brexit” played a significant role in Rattle’s decision to leave for Germany. His wife mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena and his three school-age children live in Berlin.


gustav@donga.com