In a surprise move, the Italian government has chosen to put the Opera di Roma company into receivership; former GM Francesco Ernani, who ran the opera house for the past decade, is officially out; for the next three months Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno will run the company; any hopes of an orderly transition have been destroyed, unions having immediatelly called for a general strike.
Obviously, Riccardo Muti's name had been floated as the one of the possible new Music Director, but the maestro had indicated he'd rather wait until the administrative situation had been sorted out more clearly; this latest move makes his nomination as Music Director -- or even as Principal Conductor, Muti's preferred option -- less likely, at least for the time being.