Daniel Barenboim of the Staatsoper and other executives of Berlin's
opera houses have been threatening to quit on a more or less regular
basis since the city's huge deficit (at $57 billion much larger than all
of California's) has been jeopardizing their full subsidies that guarantee
almost all of their operating budgets.  But now, Christian Thielemann,
45, music director of Deutsche Oper, went beyond the war of words, and
quit over the fiscal dispute with the city government.  In doing so, he
made a specific reference to what he regards as preferential treatment
for Barenboim's Staatsoper.

Thomas Flierl, Berlin's top cultural official, in effect accepted the
resignation by saying that Thielemann "is and was an important figure
for the Deutsche Oper and its audience...  but given Berlin's budget
situation, there can be no additional money." Thielemann's last act was
the rejection of the city's final offer to boost Deutsche Oper's yearly
budget by about $1 million, less than half of what Thielemann had demanded,
and the exact amount the Staatsoper was granted through a combination
of city and federal funding.  Thielemann's contract runs through 2007.

The resignation comes a year after Deutsche Oper managing director Udo
Zimmermann quit after only two seasons, complaining he was forced out
by city officials.  Zimmermann has yet to be replaced.  Of the city's
attitude to the two rival houses, Thielemann has told Tagesspiegel: "They
(the Staatsoper) are wanted and loved, and we are not.  What I want is
honesty and fairness.  The real question is: How do we deal with the
heritage of two world-class opera houses in this city?" Earlier this
year, Deutsche Oper (located in the former West Berlin), Staatsoper and
Komische Oper (in the former communist East Berlin) were placed under a
federally backed foundation.

Janos Gereben/SF
www.sfcv.org
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