Dedicated To James Levine, Conductor And Artistic Director Of New York’s Metropolitan Opera House

An article about the man who is not only my favorite conductor but undoubtedly one of the greatest conductors of all time. James Levine also being the general director of New York’s Metropolitan opera.

During the course of time there have been many great conductors in the world of music such as Von Karjan, Toscanini, Bernstein, Mariner, Mehta along with many others. It being there job to lead symphony orchestras and make them play as one in a way which not only brings out the very best in each individual but raises the standard of their performance as a whole. For my part, I feel that if ever there was a conductor who was capable of almost immediately raising the level of any philharmonic; it is James Levine.

James Levine being a name which I always associated with opera yet did not really hear until one day back in 1997 when I went to my friend’s house Errico; to hear a concert by the three tenors. I on that occasion expecting to see Zubin Mehta performing with the Three Tenors. As it had been Mehta, who had performed with them since they started singing together back in Rome and had continued with them till their USA 94 concert in Los Angeles just before the world cup final. Zubin Mehta even having gone on tour with Pavarotti, Carreras and Domingo who by then had simply come to be known through out the world as “The Three Tenors”.

The Three Tenors on that particular occasion would be performing with the Torino Philharmonic in Modena yet it was much to my surprise that they would be doing so with James Levine instead of Zubin Mehta. James Levine, a conductor whom I knew well for his work with New York’s Metropolitan Opera yet had never actually seen conduct. This presenting me with a great chance to see the man whom I had heard referred to with so much praise from all those in the opera world.

The concert began with the overture from Bernstein’s opera “Candid” and from the very start, I could sense James Levine taking control of an orchestra which though not among the world’s best was at least competent and improved by Levine’s baton. It being Levine who has such an ability to quickly bring up the level of any orchestra as he is made of so much energy as to be able get a lot of work done in very little time. Levine seemingly packed with raw energy and passion as he waved his baton in directing an orchestra. James Levine passing on all that he was and could create in his mind on to the musicians he so expertly guided. It seeming that Levine lived the music and could with the greatest of ease make others understand his vision of how it should be played. James Levine bursting with energy and feeling for the music which even I could see as he conducted.

I must admit that James Levine was the first conductor I ever really noticed for the way he conducted and for all that he was when he enhanced the performances of others. Naturally, I had seen other conductors before yet there was something special about James Levine which I had never noticed in any of the rest. This also being in his apparent warm personality which perhaps is what has allowed him to work for so many years with all the opera greats of his generation like Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras, Agnes Baltsa, Angela Gheorghiu, Kiri Te Kanawa, Joan Sutherland, Jesse Norman, Renee Fleming, Anna Netrebko, and many others who are simply too many to mention. Of course it being my friend Elena Georgian’s dream to someday work with James Levine.

This as James Levine has a reputation for being a man, who can understand performers and work with them to develop their talents in great ways. Levine being much like a great field marshal or head coach of a football team, who always finds ways of bringing out the best in his players. I must also admit that it was seeing James Levine on that day which would lead to my increased interest in opera. As for the Three Tenors they would go on to perform with James Levine in the following year’s world cup concert to continue the tradition started at Italia 90. James Levine would also go on to be featured in the Walt Disney film “Fantasia 2000” conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and even be seen in a part of the film, talking to Mickey Mouse; who tells him to stall while he goes and gets Donald Duck. This being one of my daughter’s favorite parts of the film.

As for James Levine’s personal life, he was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in to a musical family. His father being a violinist while his maternal grandmother worked in a synagogue as a cantor. This perhaps being the reason or part of it as to why James Levine started playing the piano so early in life; making his debut as a soloist at the age of 10 in Mendelssohn’s 2nd piano concerto at a Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra youth concert. James Levine would go on to complete his studies at New York’s world famous “Julliard School Of Music” which he graduated in 1964. It being at Julliard where he took conducting lessons from Jean Morel.




It would not be long after graduation that James Levine would make his debut at New York’s prestigious Metropolitan opera. It being in a festival performance that he would conduct Puccini’s “Tosca”. James Levine achieving such tremendous success with his first performance that it would lead to further performances. All of which making it inevitable that his career would take off. James Levine first being appointed principal conductor at the Met in 1973 then musical director in 1976 and eventually artistic director in 1986. This a position which he relinquished in 2004 for that of general manager. It being in the time of James Levine’s leadership that the Metropolitan Opera orchestra and its chorus rose to become arguable the world’s best operatic ensemble. James Levine also conducting the orchestra at the Met in a Franco Zeffirelli adaptation of Verdi’s “La Traviata”.

James Levine is also said to be a conductor, who is always eager to dedicate his time to young talents even at the cost of providing the media with less time. This being one of his features which has endeared him so much with so many through out his career. I, for my part never having had the pleasure of meeting James Levine in person can not speak about his personality but from what I have heard others say about him; I can easily deduct for myself that it is with the highest regards that he is seen as an artist, conductor and as a human being.

James Levine even being mentioned in my book “New York’s Opera Society” in the scene where the main character and his friends attend a performance at the met of Wagner’s “Gotterdammerung”. This due to James Levine being my favorite conductor not only for the almost contagious enthusiasm he conducts with but his conducting the works of so many composers to include Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, R. Strauss, Rossini, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Weill, Debussy, Berg, and Gershwin. James Levine being as diverse in the operas he conducts as Domingo is in the operas he sings in.

It was however while doing some research for this article that I was saddened to read that James Levine has experienced heath problems during the last few years. Sciatica being one of them which in fact caused him to fall on stage during a standing ovation after a performance with the Boston Symphony orchestra. James also tearing a rotator cuff in his right shoulder which lead to his having to cancel several performances. All of which leading to James Levine’s having to undergo several surgical operations which unfortunately meant that tours had to be cancelled. James Levine, in fact undergoing surgery during the summer of this year and having to cancel all his performances at the met for the 2011 season. Naturally, this representing a huge loss to the opera world yet it is with all my deepest and most sincere hopes that I wish James Levine a quick recovery so that he might once again perform the great art of conducting the world greats orchestras.