Salonen's departure poses serious questions – and not just for the Philharmonia

With the Philharmonia and London Philharmonic searching for new leaders, will their London base – and the UK – still be able to lure international talent?

Fifty years ago, when classical music’s status within the performing arts in Britain was still more or less unchallenged, an event like Esa-Pekka Salonen’s decision to step down from his principal conductor’s role with the Philharmonia orchestra would have been one that the art form could take in its confident stride.

Even today, it is not in any way a crisis. After all, Salonen has been at the Philharmonia for a decade and will have notched up 13 years when he departs at the end of the 2020-21 season. He will be 63 then, and he has plenty of unfinished career business, above all as a composer, which he sees as his primary profession. He is also spending more time in his native Finland, to which he is gradually returning as a conductor, including a forthcoming Wagner Ring cycle in Helsinki.

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