Jonathan Nott: "It's a huge responsibility to replace Josep Pons"
The British conductor will make his debut as musical director of the Liceu with a new production of Wagner's tetralogy.
BarcelonaGood words and even better intentions in the Briton's presentation Jonathan Nott (Solihull, 1962) as the new musical director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu From the 2026-2027 season until 2030-2031. "He is a central figure in contemporary conducting, with a musical vision of exceptional intellectual clarity and an expressive intensity that combines analytical rigor and poetic impulse," praises Víctor Garcia de Gomar, artistic director of the Liceu. "The Liceu and everything it represents has been a part of me since I was a child. When this invitation arrived, something unexpected happened: I felt it was a fantastic sign, a clear intuition that a new home was waiting for me," says Nott, who takes on the challenge of replacing Josep Pons, who led the Liceu until reaching its current level of success. "Obviously, replacing Josep Pons is a heavy burden. It's an enormous responsibility," admits the British conductor, who will lead a new production of Wagner's tetralogy starting next season. The Ring of the Nibelungs, co-produced by the Liceu and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and directed by the German Tobias Kratzer. "I will speak with Josep Pons about the tetralogy. And there will also be an exchange of ideas about the orchestra," he says.
In Nott's favor, besides having completed the tetralogy several times, there is a curriculum that includes nine years as music director of the Lucerne Opera, sixteen as principal conductor of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, and twelve with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. And as music director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, he spearheaded new productions ofThe Barber of Seville, by Rossini; Pelléas et Mélisande, by Debussy; Parsifal, Wagner, and Der Rosenkavalier, by Richard Strauss at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
"I learned to conduct operas in Frankfurt in 1989, and since then I've only gone a year without conducting any opera," recalls Nott, who has conducted "a lot of Italian repertoire, but also French and German." Although he admitted that he is not an "expert in contemporary music," he can't say no "to the music of our time." "There are things I haven't done that I would like to do here," he says. For now, the plan is to conduct at least two operas each season at the Liceu, and he considers it would be "fantastic" to conduct "up to six concerts."
Nott, who has lived in Lucerne for 27 years, explains that he wants to spend at least fourteen weeks in Barcelona, because he is in favor of conducting operas from the very first rehearsal. “I don’t know if I’ll settle in Barcelona year-round. I don’t speak the language yet, but I want to be part of this community. My 17-year-old daughter would love to live here,” says the Liceu’s new music director. “I want to dedicate the next stage of my life to this part of the world,” he adds. Before taking up his new post, Jonathan Nott will conduct the ballet. Nijinsky, by the Hamburg Ballet and choreographer John Neumeier, scheduled from April 12 to 15.
