The successor to Valery Gergiev, who was fired because of his closeness to Putin, is certain: the Israeli Shani will conduct the Philharmonic in the future.
As a piano soloist and double bass player, he also knows the other side of the podium – but Lahav Shani is appointed conductor in Munich. He succeeds Valery Gergiev, whom the city fired almost a year ago because of his closeness to Putin after the start of the war.
On Wednesday morning, the city council decided unanimously that Shani should musically direct the renowned ensemble in the future – and the contract was signed immediately.
The 34-year-old Shani has already celebrated considerable success. In 2020 he succeeded Zubin Mehta as the new music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv. He has also conducted ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. He recently stood at the podium of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
At the same time, Shani remains the boss in Tel Aviv. He will only fully take over the Munich post in the 2026/27 season when his contract in Rotterdam expires. The Munich Philharmonic has not had such a young boss as Shani since 1905; at that time Georg Schnéevoigt took over at the age of 33.