The conductor in the orchestra pit and the musician at the podium? “I believe it would benefit the music if conductors sometimes played in the orchestra and musicians sometimes conducted,” said Petr Popelka, the future General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung.” He was the principal double bassist of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden for many years.
From an orchestra musician’s perspective, conducting looks much easier than it actually is, according to the Czech conductor. “The reverse is also true: Conductors sometimes get frustrated that the orchestra can’t play together—it looks easier from the conductor’s podium, too.”
On Wednesday, it was announced that the 40-year-old will succeed Vladimir Jurowski in Munich for the 2029/2030 season. The musician will then step down from his position as chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, where Popelka has been serving since 2024. He was in Dresden between 2010 and 2019.
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