He announced it back in 2022. Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan will not renew his prestigious contract as Music Director of the Wiener Staatsoper, following deep disagreements with Bogdan Roščić, the General Director of the renowned Austrian opera house.
Just weeks before Jordan’s departure, after serving since 2020, the news takes on a very real turn as he bids farewell with performances of Tannhäuser, Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle, and the final notes of Götterdämmerung, marking the end of an important chapter.
Philippe Jordan will then return to Paris, where he is set to become Music Director of the Orchestre National de France in 2027.
A passionate interpreter of Wagner, the former Music Director of the Paris Opera has never hidden his visceral attachment to the composer of Bayreuth, describing his music as “elemental, filled with a raw energy, which at first glance seems simple but goes incredibly deep, where emotion guides reason and the narrative is elevated by the music.”
Five masterpieces by the German Romantic genius will be performed from 22 May to 28 June 2025 at the Vienna State Opera, including Tannhäuser from 22 May to 4 June, Das Rheingold from 28 May to 20 June, Die Walküre from 2 to 22 June (already sold out), Siegfried from 8 to 25 June, and finally Götterdämmerung from 15 to 28 June 2025.
On stage, the great Wagnerian voices take centre stage, with tenor Andreas Schager—a key figure in the repertoire—starring in Siegfried, Götterdämmerung, and Die Walküre, alongside Anja Kampe as Brünnhilde and the powerful Simone Schneider, stepping in for new mother Lise Davidsen as Sieglinde. The production by Sven-Eric Bechtolf is a revival of the cycle created over several seasons between 2007 and 2009.
In Tannhäuser, rising star Clay Hilley takes the title role, partnered by the fiery Venus of Ekaterina Gubanova and the noble Elisabeth of Malin Byström. However, French baritone Ludovic Tézier, originally cast as Wolfram von Eschenbach, will not take part in the production and is replaced by Martin Gantner.
A blazing month of June awaits at the Wiener Staatsoper, where, between the fire of the Valkyries and the twilight of the gods highlighted by Philippe Jordan, this Wagnerian immersion is sure to be a major event.
TO ATTEND ONE OF THE FIVE OPERAS IN VIENNA, CLICK HERE!
Philippe Jordan – c – Christian Michelines
