ROME, Italy (CelebrityAccess) — Rome's Teatro dell'Opera was left scrambling for a replacement conductor after Riccardo Muti announced he was pulling out of planned performances at the venue, which has been struggling with financial woes and labor disputes.
Muti, who has served for the past six years as honorary lifetime director at the Teatro dell'Opera, was scheduled to conduct Verdi's "Aida," starting Nov. 27, and Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro," starting in spring 2015.
According to the Associated Press, Opera house General Manager Carlo Fuortes received a letter from Muti, which suggested that the conductor felt that the opera house would be unable to "guarantee that serenity which for me is necessary for the success of the performances." A statement Fuortes and Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino said that Muti's decision to pull out of the performances was "undoubtedly influenced" by the strikes and turmoil at the opera house.
This isn't the first time Muti has turned in his baton over labor disputes and he resigned from a conducting role at La Scala after a tenure of almost 20 years, following a strike by back-of-house workers in 2005. – Staff Writers
