A Conductor Who Believes That No Artist Can Be Apolitical

And when the Bayerische Staatsorchester, the house’s pit orchestra, performed at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland last year, Jurowski didn’t stop climate change protesters who stormed the stage during a Bruckner symphony. After a brief disruption, he told the audience that he had made a deal with them: They could speak their minds, then remain quiet for the rest of the concert. When audience members tried to shout down the protesters, Jurowski gestured for them to be respectful.

He later exchanged emails with the two protesters, from Renovate Switzerland, sharing his worries about the mounting crises of the world. But, he told them, “I hardly believe that you are helping the environment by ruining a classical music concert.” He argued for music as a source of spiritual comfort, and for the need to protect it.

It would have been better, he wrote, if they had contacted him before the concert, so that the audience — “admittedly very complicated and certainly a bit stuffy” — would be more open to their message. Jurowski invited them to work together in the future, but they didn’t respond to that message. Now, he is thinking about programs with his Berlin orchestra that make space for speeches about climate change.

In the interview in Munich, Jurowski said he was proud that the incident in Lucerne happened as he was representing the Bavarian State Opera — an institution that, he said, “doesn’t stick its head in the sand and pretend that we’re just here to make beautiful music.”

But he does also make beautiful music, and will truly claim his place in the company’s core repertoire next season when he leads the new “Das Rheingold,” directed by Kratzer, as well as a new “Don Giovanni,” two works with a rich tradition in Munich.

“It’s going to be a big challenge, twice,” Jurowski said. But after three seasons, he added, he feels prepared. And now, he is looking forward to a possible second term; his contract ends in 2026, but he would need at least one additional year to finish the “Ring.” The decision, though, rests with the local government and not with the house itself.