Bernd Loebe has achieved a coup.

The artistic director of the Frankfurt Opera was able to engage one of the most highly rated young conductors in Germany as the future general music director and successor to Sebastian Weigle: the now 28-year-old Thomas Guggeis, the highly coveted Staatskapellmeister of the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden, will compete in Frankfurt in autumn 2023.

It cannot be taken for granted that everything went so well.

Because often enough such a change of office is accompanied by a big theatrical thunder.

After all, artistic directors and general music directors like to throw themselves up, mostly for artistic reasons, for example if a piece comes on the program against the will of the conductor or with an unpleasant director or because there is not enough trial period available.

"Fresh wind" and a lot of freedom

Loebe and Weigle have been working together successfully and smoothly since 2008, "collegial and loyal", as Loebe says.

If the impression is not completely wrong, it really is.

Hopefully this will continue for two years before Guggeis takes office.

Loebe's schedules are attractive and rich in high-quality rarities.

It would be good if the future General Music Director would support this as Weigle does.

Loebe has promised that Guggeis will not be “tied to a director”.

In many previous discussions, the two agreed which director's handwriting interests them.

The first pieces have been decided, even if they have not yet been named.

At the first joint appearance on Wednesday, Guggeis and Loebe seemed to be quite similar in terms of diction and approach.

Whether the young future general music director will be able to bring a “breath of fresh air” to the Frankfurt Opera as hoped will depend on how much artistic freedom he is given to do so.

In any case, the cooperation with the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra works very well.

At the concert performance of the opera “Ariadne auf Naxos” by Richard Strauss in June, Guggeis ensured a strikingly singer-friendly and colorful sound.

And the most recent museum concert a few weeks ago also met with an unanimously positive response.

So the expectations are high.

After all, that a Berliner by choice moves to Frankfurt seldom enough.

It was a stroke of luck with Weigle.