"It is with a heavy heart, and after careful consideration, that I announce my resignation from the position of music director of the Paris Opera in order to spend more time with my family," said in a statement from the Venezuelan Opera who arrived in Paris in 2021 for a six-year contract.
"We live in a time that, I believe, has deeply and intimately changed our beings," said the conductor. "I have no other plans than to be with my loved ones," said the 42-year-old maestro.
In February, the New York Philharmonic appointed him as its future artistic and musical director from 2026, which was considered a big blow on the music transfer window.
Gustavo Dudamel, one of the world's highest-paid and best-known conductors, had also conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic until recently (since 2009).
"I thank Gustavo Dudamel whose passion and immense talent have brought a lot to the repertoire of our house," said the director general of the Paris Opera, Alexander Neef, in the statement.
"He has forged a special relationship with the musicians of the Orchestra, the artists of the Choirs, the singers and the artistic teams, a relationship marked by mutual respect and a desire to offer together the most beautiful shows," he said.
"The recent success of +Nixon in China+ is one of the most vivid examples of this. Gustavo Dudamel is a great musician. I express my deep gratitude to him for the work accomplished during his mandate, and I fully respect his decision," said the Director.
Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel under the gold of the Palais Garnier in Paris, April 15, 2021 © STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP/Archives
A fervent advocate of wider access to music, Gustavo Dudamel, son of a trombonist and a singing teacher, is a pure product and one of the most illustrious representatives of "El Sistema", the National System of Youth Orchestras of Venezuela, a famous popular classical music education project founded in 1975.
Recognizable by his curly hair, he conducted the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra for a duet with Coldplay at the Super Bowl halftime concert in the United States in 2016.
© 2023 AFP