Clearly, all the productions that Enrique will be conducting are discussions that we began from scratch. There will be some projects that Enrique won’t be conducting that will have had its origins before our discussions (with him) began. Inevitably, we are planning into the future. “A very interesting question, but we don’t really think of it in that way,” said Freud.

Then he said, ‘I think it is the right time.’”Īsked which season would be the first to carry Mazzola’s imprint, Freud demurred. “When Andrew first told me that he thought that after 21 years he should probably not extend his contract, I said: ‘Please know that I will be absolutely thrilled if you did extend your contract, and in no way do I think you’ve come to the natural end of your tenure.’ “I’ve had the benefit of knowing for a couple of years that Sir Andrew was wanting to end his music directorship in 2021, so this has not been a quick or sudden process,” added Freud. Given that remarkable fact, selecting the third music director was bound to represent “a major change,” said Lyric CEO Freud in an interview.

“It’s pretty extraordinary that this company was founded in 1954 and has only had two music directors,” added Davis. That would be conductor Bruno Bartoletti, who was Lyric’s co-artistic director from 1964-74 and sole artistic director from 1975 until his retirement in 1999 (he was artistic director emeritus until his death in 2013).

Lyric opera 2021 22 season