PHILADELPHIA — There was a whiff of mystery around the startlingly brief tenure of the Philadelphia Orchestra's new star trumpeter — just six months from the orchestra's announcement of the "historic" hire to "we wish him a beautiful future" elsewhere.

Esteban Batallán's speedy departure is unusual, especially for a destination orchestra like Philadelphia's, where players tend to stay for decades. And the exit has also been more public than most personnel changes at the orchestra, in part because of the prominence of the position's role within the orchestra, and since the trumpeter himself publicly declared his ambivalence about the job before even starting.

But in an interview last week, Batallán explained some of his reasoning behind his return to Chicago — which is expected sometime this spring — as well as a couple of things that had nothing to do with his departure.

His choice to give up the principal trumpet position in Philadelphia to return to the same spot with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra doesn't signify anything about the relative quality or status of the two ensembles, either in his mind or more objectively speaking.

"The Philadelphia Orchestra is a great orchestra — one of the best in the world," Batallán told The Inquirer.

His return to Chicago also doesn't mean he was not wanted here. It's standard that any new player begins with a period of probation, and Batallán passed his trial; he was granted tenure in January, so the Philly job was his if he wanted it.

As for the brevity of his stay before deciding to leave: Batallán said he wished he had been able to play more of the season before making up his mind. But policy calls for players to inform management of their season-end resignation or retirement months in advance — by the middle of October — and Batallán had already been granted extra time to consider his choice.

In the end, he didn't want to stay, and the reasons were about musical style, he says. The musician understood his role as leader of not just the trumpets but the entire brass section, and while he felt he had buy-in from the trumpets, he said he didn't feel it from the entire brass section.

"It's a different way of approaching how we play. For me I have had all my life a really defined, vibrant sound with a very clear articulation. It's normally the way we brass players play. So in a place like the CSO, it's basically the tradition of the brass in that group."

In Philadelphia, "some people in the brass were trying to be underneath everyone else, and sometimes it is correct if you play Schumann or Haydn or lighter repertoire. But other times you have to be more prominent and have to know how much to go for it. I found myself with a little bit of, not a block but pushback, on certain things."

Philadelphia's brass section is hardly a collection of wallflowers. But traditionally it is the orchestra's rich string section that draws admiration, while in Chicago it's the assertive brass. Asked about Batallán's reasons for leaving, a Philadelphia Orchestra spokesperson said it was "not for us to speculate on why he decided to leave."

The episode extends the trumpet section's long period of flux. Batallán's predecessor, David Bilger, announced his decision in to step down February 2022, at the end of the 2021-22 season. The orchestra expects to hold auditions next season, which means it's possible a new principal trumpeter won't be in place until the 2026-27 season.

In the meantime, there's one more element of instability. The orchestra's associate principal trumpeter, Jeffrey Curnow, has decided to leave at the end of this season for a teaching position at Indiana University.

Batallán has repeatedly said that it was his lifelong dream to play in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Now he will actualize his dream — if for a second time.

"I have to go where I think I belong," he said.

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