(New York) Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director of the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra, announces that he will take a four-week hiatus effective December 19 .
Following a busy fall and in anticipation of an equally demanding second half of the musical season, the Quebec maestro has chosen to temporarily retire in order to recharge his batteries.
On Monday, the Met announced that its 46-year-old boss was stepping down from a series of performances of the Figaro wedding, by Mozart, scheduled for January 8 to 28 and April 2 to 16. He will be replaced by Daniele Rustioni and James Gaffigan.
Since the start of the season, Yannick Nézet-Séguin has conducted the Met Orchestra for performances of the Fire Shut Up In My Bones, Terence Blanchard, in September, andEurydice, by Matthew Aucoin, last week.
He must also direct the first performances of the Don Carlos, by Verdi, presented in French from February 28. Its calendar also includes the world premiere of The Hours, with soprano Renée Fleming and the Philadelphia Orchestra, March 18.
“This little break will give me time to recharge my batteries in order to start the new year,” said the maestro in a press release. I can’t wait to return to the Met in February for the new production of Don Carlos by Verdi. ”
According to the schedule of the Orchester métropolitain de Montréal, conductor Nézet-Séguin must conduct the performance of the concert Nordic epic, February 11, at the Maison symphonique. This concert notably highlights the works of Quebec composers André Mathieu and Isabelle Panneton.