# Breaking News - Maestro Levine is out for the season



## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Fall, spine injury. Fabio Luisi will be the principal conductor, including for some Sigfried performances. Derrick Inouye will also conduct Sigfried.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/james-levine-withdraws-from-met-fall-season/?hp

The witches are active in the world of opera. Dead tenor, ailing maestro...

I wish Jimmy a prompt recovery.

What do you guys think will be the impact of this? Will Sigfried be any good?


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Thanks for posting the NYT article. I know he's had health problems (through TC, a great resource on these things, we're a bit distanced from all this kind of stuff down here in Oz).

I think it may well be time for Maestro Levine to retire & just take life at a slower pace. He's definitely earned it. I don't know if he's got children & grandchildren or whatever, but I think whatever these circumstances, he's done a lot for classical music over the decades, esp. opera. I think he'd be wise to do himself justice & think of himself for a change, not his art or his fans or whoever. I know this is very difficult for an artist, but in terms of intensive jobs like doing _The Ring_, I think his career is over & probably better for him to rest and enjoy what he can of his older age/retirement...


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Sid James said:


> Thanks for posting the NYT article. I know he's had health problems (through TC, a great resource on these things, we're a bit distanced from all this kind of stuff down here in Oz).
> 
> I think it may well be time for Maestro Levine to retire & just take life at a slower pace. He's definitely earned it. I don't know if he's got children & grandchildren or whatever, but I think whatever these circumstances, he's done a lot for classical music over the decades, esp. opera. I think he'd be wise to do himself justice & think of himself for a change, not his art or his fans or whoever. I know this is very difficult for an artist, but in terms of intensive jobs like doing _The Ring_, I think his career is over & probably better for him to rest and enjoy what he can of his older age/retirement...


I suspect the problem is that he doesn't have anything outside his work - no family, spouse, children or whatever. So it must be so hard to walk away.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Thanks for telling me that,* mamascarlatti.* Well, it does make sense in that way. However, Maestro Levine could still be involved in music in many ways apart from being on the podium. I don't need to tell you or anyone here of these ways - eg. teaching, consultancy work, sitting on panels of music competitions, masterclasses, stuff like that. Or if he does want to still perform, maybe not do it full-time? I know he's a very good accompanist on the piano, he could go that way if he's able/inclined as well. But I can understand what retirement may mean for many artists - oblivion. By the same token, it's not really edifying to end up like the late Ella Fitzgerald, who was warned by doctors to give up performing and retire for her health (eg. preserve what little good health she had). She didn't, and ended up overworking herself and in her subsequent forced retirement was plagued by health problems associated with that. I don't envy our musicians in any part of the spectrum - classical or not - it can simply be gruelling, esp. for people who are world famous, like Maestro Levine (& a commonality between Ella & Levine is that they both had no children - even though the former had an adopted son - so I suppose they saw/see retirement as a kind of death)...


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Yes, this is very sad, I think maestro Levine lives for his music. Well, he will carry on as musical director at the Met, just won't be able to be on the podium. It is touching to see how the NY public loves him. Last time I saw him live, there was such a prolonged ovation when he walked into the pit! For someone whose live was overwhelmingly focused on his work like Nat said, he must crave those 5 minutes of applause. I suspect that once he stops conducting he'll get depressed and will die soon. Poor guy. I love him, and always felt a bit irritated when people criticized his conducting - while not perfect, he is in my opinion a darn good opera conductor who shaped up his orchestra and made of the New York Philharmonic the *second* best orchestra in New York City - quite an accomplishment, given the direct competition for musicians just across the plaza.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

I too am sorry to see Maestro Levine sidelined for at least the near future. I hope he's able to return to conducting, at least for long enough to leave it on his own terms.

On a more mundane note, I can't help but wonder how this event will affect the marketing of the Met's Ring cycle. Though there are DVD and/or CD sets of this work that change directors or performers from one opera to the next, I don't know if there's a modern set that switches conductors midway through. Will such a change be so jarring as to leave this cycle without any artistic (or commercial) identity?


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## jflatter (Mar 31, 2010)

Oh I think that they will release the DVD but do it Bayreuth style. But yes it will be a strange ring. I have never heard Luisi do Wagner. Does anyone know what he is like in this repertoire?

On the Levine subject it does look like matters are coming to a head and that Luisi is heir apparent. However I am curious if our U.S. followers would be happy with Luisi as music director or would they prefer someone else?


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Let see how this develops in terms of the artistic direction for the future, which is always difficult to assess from an outsider's viewpoint, as these prestigious positions involve as much politics as talent. James Levine has health problems for a while now as we all know.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

This is bad news...as for the possibilities for Levine in retiring, it isn't like he'd have to give up the podium completely. Pierre Boulez, at 85-86, is still conducting, but on his own terms. He doesn't hold a position for any orchestra. He teaches and composes and all that stuff as well.

Were Levine to give up the Met, he could live a comfortable retirement while still conducting, teaching, whatever he likes. I'm sure that's probably not what he wants, given all the mention of his obsessive immersion in every detail, but if push comes to shove, it's the next best thing.


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