Franz Welser-Most abruptly resigns from Vienna State Opera

Conductor Franz Welser-Möst has abruptly stepped down from his post as music director of the Vienna State Opera, according to a statement from the company Friday.

The opera said his unexpected departure, which comes at the start of the new season, is the result of “irreconcilable differences of opinion regarding the company’s artistic planning and profile.”

Welser-Möst has withdrawn from all of his planned performances in the company’s 2014-2015 season. He had been scheduled to lead productions this season that included Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and Strauss’ “Elektra.”

The abrupt resignation of a music director is rare for an internationally renowned company. The Vienna State Opera didn’t elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Welser-Möst’s departure. His contract with the Austrian company was set to expire in 2018.

A Reuters report cited Dominique Meyer, artistic director of the Vienna Sate Opera, telling the Austrian Press Agency that “this is of course a great loss and the step also sorrows me personally because I very much value Franz Welser-Möst as an artist and director.”

Welser-Möst also holds the post of music director of the Cleveland Orchestra. In recent years, he has conducted the annual New Year’s concert with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra that is broadcast on PBS and around the world.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT