Welser-Most Turns Down Vienna State Opera Job

Franz Welser-MÖst was offered the top job at the Vienna State Opera Friday, and turned it down, citing his contract commitment to the Cleveland Orchestra through 2012. “I’m not somebody who breaches a contract. I believe both institutions deserve 100 percent focus. I cannot divide my focus and give each institution 50 percent, which would mean in the end both institutions would suffer.”