The conductor Christian Thielemann has been announced as the next General Music Director of Berlin State Opera, the leading opera house in the German capital. He will succeed Daniel Barenboim, who has held the position since 1992, but who stepped down in January after being diagnosed with a ‘serious neurological condition’.

Thielemann is widely seen as the natural successor, a Berlin native himself and Barenboim’s preferred candidate. After the older conductor’s withdrawal from performances last year, Thielemann stepped in to lead the premiere of a well-received new Ring Cycle. The relationship was then consolidated with a successful tour of Asia. On his return, Thielemann told the German Press Agency, ‘The chemistry was right … It’s important to be on the same wavelength. That is not always the case, but this time it was.’

Audiences can expect continuity at the house, with Thielemann sharing Barenboim’s taste for core German Romantic repertoire, particularly Wagner and Strauss. However, that traditionalism may sit uneasily with the progressive tastes of the capital. Thielemann is currently Chief Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, but that position will come to an end in 2024, after Barbara Klepsch, the Saxon Minister for Culture, declined to extend his contract. Klepsch argued that the Dresden house needed a conductor who would find ‘new paths’ and offer ‘contemporary interpretations’ to explain her preference for a new candidate.

Meanwhile, another appointment at Berlin State Opera is likely to have a significant bearing on the company’s future. Elisabeth Sobotka, who is currently enjoying a successful tenure as Artistic Director of the Bregenz Festival, is due to take up the same position with the Berlin company next January. Many will be hoping that her progressive outlook and flair for reimagining the opera medium will offer the balance the company needs to the conductor’s more traditional values.

Meanwhile, Thielemann's continued achievements in recording have received Editor's Choices in the past year for Bruckner with the Vienna Philharmonic (on film, though an audio-only recording from Sony Classical can be heard below), as well as in Strauss's Capriccio, with the Staatskapelle Dresden.