Chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons, who has led from his post for nearly a decade, has decided he can't take it anymore and announced Tuesday that he will resign for the 2014-15 season.
Jansons, who is a wise 71, will continue, instead, in his post as chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich.
These moves seem to be commonplace, as many conductors this year have resigned and changed partners--er, I mean symphonies--at their own discretion.
However untimely or unexpected the move was, and as one could surmise, there was no word on who might be tapped as the next Concertgebouw chief conductor.
In 1988, Mr. Jansons made his debut with the orchestra and became the sixth chief conductor in its history in 2004, which led to great critical acclaim at home and abroad and also yielding a number of well-received recordings within.
So why leave, Mariss?
In recent years, heart problems and innumerable invasive surgeries rendered the heavyweight weak, and yet he still continued to conduct around the world.
A statement on the Concertgebouw website claims:
The orchestra, the management and the chief conductor want to make a point of stating that they are parting on excellent terms and with deep mutual respect.
Well, it was good having you around, Mr. Jansons. A farewell date, hopefully, will soon be set.
To wit, here is Jansons with the BRSO in Tokyo in 2012 performing Beethoven's "Symphony No. 3."
